


Green Day, Aerosmith, Vitamin C (and other cliches): Stories from Senior Year

by No2Ticonderoga



Series: Senior Year Cliches [1]
Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan
Genre: Canon compliant through Tyrant's Tomb, During Trials of Apollo, F/M, High School, Ignores Tower of Nero, It's now AU I guess, Mostly Fluff, Paul Blofis is a good step-parent, Post-Heroes of Olympus, Post-Tartarus Trauma, Sally Jackson is a Good Parent, getting the help they need, percabeth
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-22
Updated: 2021-02-04
Packaged: 2021-02-28 23:48:46
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 58
Words: 190,497
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23265712
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/No2Ticonderoga/pseuds/No2Ticonderoga
Summary: Percy and Annabeth navigate the second half of their senior year, sweating out their grades, avoiding hallway hoodlums and the occasional monster. And there's that constant worry that something's gone wrong out west, since nobody seems to be able to communicate with them from out there.But it's not all bad. They finally get to do some normal high school-ly things. Like prom! And graduation!Still, they've got a lot on their minds. And nosy parents. Of both the mortal and the godly variety.A mostly fluffy look at their post-BOO relationship. Cameos by lots of folks.Rated mature, because high schoolers use bad language in real life. Shocking I know. *fans self like Hazel* And they get up to things when they're alone. Also, some nightmares and post-Tartarus trauma to deal with, in later chapters. See chapters for specific content warnings.
Relationships: Annabeth Chase/Percy Jackson, Paul Blofis/Sally Jackson
Series: Senior Year Cliches [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1872121
Comments: 952
Kudos: 1386
Collections: RaeLynn's Epic Rec List, Read Again They Were Good (clayrin)





	1. 1: Percy

**Author's Note:**

> Not making any money. Please don't sue me. I don't have much to take away anyway. Special thanks to my Betas, Aggiebell90 and KittheBrave! And to my ultimate beta, who knows who she is!

Percy Jackson stared at the poster on the wall outside of his step-father’s classroom at Goode High School. His dyslexia made the fancy script a little bit more difficult, but it didn’t matter, he knew what it said. It had been announced on the intercom as part of morning announcements.

Senior Prom.

_ Well, there’s something I never thought I’d live to see _ , he thought. He’d been aware, dimly, that it was coming up. But here it was, tickets going on sale this week!

“Going to prom, Percy?” Josh asked, coming up behind him. Josh had been on swim team with Percy in the fall and winter and was in a couple of classes with Percy, and while Percy would hesitate to call him his best friend, since that was Grover, he was Percy’s best friend at Goode. They worked on all their group projects together when they could, and hung out after school, when Percy hadn’t bounced off to Annabeth’s.

The problem was that there was so much about Percy Josh didn’t know, of course. Like where’d he’d been most of junior year. The Mist helped; most kids thought he’d been abroad, studying in Greece and Rome on a scholarship, which for some reason no one seemed to find strange. At least he’d had real experiences there, so he didn’t sound like a total idiot when someone asked him how his trip was.

“Yeah,” Percy said. “Probably.”

“Are you asking Annabeth?” Josh asked.

Josh, and most people at Goode didn’t know that much about Annabeth beyond that she was his girlfriend. A few of them weren’t even sure she was real. Josh knew she was real mainly because she was “that blonde girl who showed up at a couple of swim meets with Percy’s mom.”

“Yeah, who you going to ask, loser?” Aaaaand there was Gage. The latest in a long line of popular kids who thought Percy was easy pickings for his odd behavior and mediocre grades. Although that part had improved quite a bit this year, thanks to Annabeth, and thanks to enormous strength of will on Percy’s part.

Percy had been on the swim team, but swim team didn’t carry a lot of weight around Goode, compared to star linebackers.

But Percy just didn’t care anymore. Compared to the things he’d seen, hallway mafia dons were small potatoes indeed. “I don’t recall you being part of this conversation, Gage,” Percy said without turning.

“You going by yourself?” Gage asked. “Or maybe you’re going to go with one of your swim buddies,” he said, looking meaningfully between Percy and Josh.

“Homophobic much?” Percy said, sighing and turning. And he let his eyes meet Gage’s.

Percy gave him the “wolf stare” he had learned from Lupa and found that it had just as much effect on Gage as it had on the gang bangers out west. Percy started blankly at Gage, peripheral vision taking in all the things around them in the hallway that he could use to fight with if Gage got physical. Highly unlikely, but as Gage was depressingly mortal and could not be hurt by Riptide, Percy would have to make due with the items around him in the hallway.

Gage’s cronies looked uneasy as Percy stared at him. Gage’s expression went from surly to uneasy as Percy just calmly stood there, staring him down without moving. “Was there something else, Gage?”

The hallway has gotten quiet during the staredown, and Percy was vaguely aware they had an audience.

Gage looked around nervously, but Percy just kept staring. “So, who are you going to take, then?” he tried for bluster.

“I’ll have a date,” Percy assured him.

Gage’s mouth dropped open a hair in disbelief. “I’ll believe it when I see it,” he said.

“You do that,” Percy nodded fractionally.

“Percy, Gage, what’s going on here?” Paul had emerged from his classroom.

“Nothing, Mr. Blofis,” Percy said. “Just a conversation.” He continued to stare at Gage. He would not turn away first.

Gage broke, “I gotta get to class,” he said, turning away. The warning bell rang just then anyway, dispersing the crowd.

Paul touched Percy’s arm. “Don’t let him get to you, Percy.”

Percy grinned lopsidedly. “Nah. He’s not worth my time. I just wanted to rattle him a little. Just a little staredown. Maybe he’ll think twice before trying to tweak me for a couple weeks. It’s cool. I’ve only got three months to go, and I’m not going to mess it up now.”

Paul nodded, satisfied. “Go on, get to class.”

Percy and Josh headed down the hall to their history class. “Holy shit, dude, where the fuck did you learn to stare down like that,” Josh said. “You looked like you were trying to figure out the best way to dispose of his corpse after you killed him.”

_ I was.  _ Percy shrugged. “You can’t let those guys get to you. They’re all talk, and they all fold up under pressure. I was just showing I’m done letting them intimidate me.”

Josh shook his head. “You scare me, sometimes, man. So,” he asked, as they entered class just before the final bell, “You going to ask her?”

Percy smiled. “Of course.”


	2. 2: Annabeth

Annabeth had stayed late in the library for a project, so she was not 100% surprised when she found Percy sitting on her dorm steps when she got back. He often showed up like this after school. Percy didn’t trust cellphones much, so he rarely used one for simple things like texting her that he was coming over. He was trying to read a book and had his notebook out. She felt a small thrill of pride when she saw this. Percy was trying so hard to keep up with his school work this year and to recover from the time he’d missed. She knew how hard it was for him, so even the fact that he was working now, while waiting for her, was important.

“Hey!” she said. “What are you doing here?”

He looked up and jumped up from the steps, throwing his arms around her in a warm embrace. Their reunions were always like this. Warm and affectionate. Truth was, they hated being apart. She kissed him warmly. “Mmm. You taste like junk food.”

“I got hungry waiting, I had a package of Twinkies.” He pointed to the bodega across the street from her dorm. She rolled her eyes at him. “How was school?” he asked.

They sat down together on the steps. Annabeth wasn’t allowed to bring boys into the dorm, but they could sit outside, even though the steps were cold through the relatively thin fabric of her uniform skirt. They could go to the Starbucks around the corner in a few minutes. “School was good. I got a lot done today on my research project at the library after class.”

“So that’s where you were,” Percy said. “I was beginning to wonder.”

“How about your day?”

“Well, actually,” he turned to her, smiling at her with his sea-green eyes. “I have a question for you.”

“What’s that?” she asked.

“I’m told, or at least, I’ve heard that there’s supposed to be some kind of elaborate nonsense that goes along with this, but that just doesn’t seem like us. So, will you go to my senior prom with me?”

Annabeth felt ridiculously giddy. “No, prom-posals don’t seem our style,” she said. “And yes, of course I’ll go with you,” she said, leaning over to kiss him. “I suppose you’ll come to mine.”

“You guys have one too?” He seemed surprised.

“Yes, Percy, we have a prom too.” She rolled her eyes at him.

“But you don’t have any guys here,” he said.

“And yet, here you are,” she pointed out reasonably, though with some exasperation.

“But…”

“I am not the only girl with a boyfriend outside of school,” she said. “And there are lots of guys to meet locally. The school even arranges social events with an all-guys school nearby.”

“Oh,” he paused. “I didn’t know that. Have you ever been?”

She shook her head. “Of course not, Seaweed Brain. Why on earth would I go there, when I can be with the world’s best boyfriend? Even if he is a little dense.” She leaned over and kissed him on the cheek.

“Oh.”

“So, when is it?” she asked.

“When is what?”

“The prom, silly. Honestly, Percy.” She stood up. “C’mon, we can walk and talk.”

“Where are we going?” He began gathering up his school work.

“Starbucks,” she said. “My ass is freezing, I’m not sitting out in the cold in this skirt any longer.”

“Well, we wouldn’t want that, now, would we?” he asked rhetorically, reaching out a hand to grab said ass as he stood up.

“Stop that,” she slapped his hand away playfully.

“Aww.” He shouldered her messenger bag for her, and put his arm around her waist as they walked around the corner. “To answer your question, it’s in May.”

“What day?” she asked. “Ours is the 21st.”

Percy shrugged. “It’s in my bag somewhere. I’ll look. I don’t think it’s the same day, though.”

“So you asked me to prom, but you don’t even know what day it is?” Annabeth said. “Oh, Seaweed Brain. You are such a guy sometimes.”

“Yeah, I know,” he said. “But I figured I’d forget. That’s why I stole the flyer off the wall.”

She shook her head.


	3. 3: Percy

“How was Annabeth this afternoon?” his mom asked, returning to the kitchen after getting Estelle down in the crib, at least temporarily. Not quite a month old, but she slept in half-way decent 2-3 hour blocks. He’d been able to hold her for a few minutes after getting home, before their mom had taken her for a feeding before putting her down.

“Great,” he said, looking up from his homework at the kitchen table. He was munching down a pizza. His mom had been busy with Estelle since he’d gotten home, and Paul had to go back out to a school thing that Percy hadn’t wanted to go to...some fundraiser or other for the National Honor Society. So he’d ordered a pizza, even though he’d already had an early dinner with Annabeth. “I asked her to go with me to prom today.”

Percy had turned back to his homework but became aware that his mother was staring at him. He looked up and he saw that she was staring at him with moist eyes, and her hands over her mouth. “What?”

“Oh, Percy,” she cried, coming over and hugging him around the neck. “That’s so wonderful. I can’t believe…”

“That we made it this far,” he said. “Yeah, me either,” he hugged his mom back. “Okay, Mom, it’s fine, it’s just a dance.”

“It’s prom, sweetie. It’s an important event. And it’s...it’s…”

“Normal?” Percy asked.

“Yes!” his mother said. “You get to have something close to normal, take Annabeth to the prom, graduate with your classmates.” She wiped her eyes. “After everything…”

Percy took her hand. “I know, Mom, I know. This is more of those post-pregnancy hormones isn’t it?”

She laughed and sat down at the table with him. “Maybe,” she admitted. “When is it?”

He handed her the same flyer he’d shown Annabeth at Starbucks. “May 15th,” she said.

“I already put it on the calendar,” he said.

“You’ll need a tux. And flowers,” his mother said.

“Annabeth made me a list,” he admitted. “I don’t think she trusts me.”

“No question that she is Athena’s daughter,’ his mother said.

“Hey!” His mother ruffled his hair. “Oh, and her prom is the 21st, and she wants me to go with her.”

“Maybe we’ll just buy you a tux then,” she said. “Might be cheaper than renting twice.”


	4. 4: Annabeth

“Hi Annabeth!” Sally said, as she arrived on Friday night.

“Hi Sally.” Annabeth hugged her tightly.

“Do you want a drink or a snack before we go out?” Sally asked.

Sally had offered to take Annabeth dress shopping. She wasn’t sure she was going to get two dresses yet or not, but she needed at least one.

“Is Percy home?” she asked. “I should at least say hi.”

“He and Paul are playing that video game,” she waved a hand down the hall. But Percy appeared just then. “Hey, babes,” he said, embracing her warmly and giving her a kiss. “Have fun shopping. Take care of Mom,” he ordered.

Percy had grown extremely protective of his mother since she’d announced she was pregnant, which Annabeth found amusing. Sally, who had to put up with it from both Paul and Percy, less so. Especially since Estelle had already been born.

“I’m fine, Percy,” she said. “We’re just going to go shopping and have some girl time,” she said.

“Okay, but don’t overdo it,” he looked at Annabeth, “Make sure she doesn’t overdo it.”

“We’re going now,” Sally said, as she kissed Percy on the cheek. “We’ll be back, Paul,” she called down the hall.

“Have fun! Take it easy!”

Sally rolled her eyes, threaded her arm through Annabeth’s and they headed down the hall toward the elevator.

“This is so much fun,” Sally said, squeezing her arm. “I hope I get to do this again with Estelle someday.” Annabeth reflected on her relationship with her step-mother, and marvelled again at how lucky she was that she had both Percy and Sally.

“Where are we going?” Annabeth asked, as they rode the elevator down to the lobby. She honestly had no idea where people bought prom dresses. While she loved Sally Jackson, she wished Piper could come along. Aside from being an Aphrodite kid, Piper knew how to shop. But Piper was in California with her dad, and lately no amount of Iris Messaging could get through. It was one of the several things that were bothering her in the back of her mind, but there was just so much going on right now, between the Apollo thing, and the stuff with her cousin Magnus. Annabeth missed Piper and Hazel and the comfort of having girlfriends. And who knew where Thalia was?

“I figure we have about three hours,” Sally said. “I pumped some milk for Estelle in case she gets hungry before we get back, but we shouldn’t be out too long. But time enough. I know some places.” Sally smiled and squeezed her arm again.


	5. 5: Percy

“So,” Paul said, he blasted another alien on the TV screen. “You’re bringing Annabeth to the prom, huh?”

“Yeah,” Percy said, while he lobbed a plasma grenade around the corner. 

“This is the first time any of your friends from Goode will meet her,” he said. “How come you haven’t introduced her to them?”

Percy shrugged. “Look out, behind the cargo crates,” he warned. 

“On it.”

“I don’t know. It’s just. It’s too much to explain. There’s so much of my life that’s a big...blank...for all of them. And it’s not like I have many friends. I mean, there’s Josh. He’s cool, and I like to hang out with him. And the rest of the seniors on swim. I probably should have introduced him back during swim season. But...I just don’t feel, I dunno. It’s just so much to explain. And not be able to.”

“Fair,” Paul allowed. “On your left, there’s a med pack in the corner.” 

“Thanks.”

“So, you two are doing okay then?” Paul asked.

“Of course,” Percy said. “She’s...she’s Annabeth. And we’ve made it this far. I didn’t haul my ass through Tartarus to let my last year of high school defeat me.” But there was more than that. Percy knew that Paul was aware they had both suffered from their experience, and it still haunted them. The nightmares were especially bad. More than once Percy had woken his family up calling out in his dreams, and several times Paul had gotten up in the morning to find Percy watching TV or sitting alone at the kitchen table after being woken by a dream in the night and unable to go back to sleep. And Annabeth had been the same way. 

Fortunately, they’d had help. Reyna had reached out to them to let them know that there was a Roman legacy (his grandfather had been Apollo), living in New York who was a therapist. She had sent along a letter of introduction from the Legion for both of them, and Dr. Berger, who had done his Legion time before going to Med School, had been supremely helpful. They had both been diagnosed with PTSD, and Dr. Berger had helped get them medications that helped alleviate their symptoms while not interfering with their reflexes. Reflexes they still needed, from time to time. Aside from Percy’s little adventure with Apollo, they’d both run into monsters a couple of times while out and about in the city.

Dr. Berger had also helped a lot with the schools...and Student Services, which was usually the bane of Percy’s existence at schools. There wasn’t a place on their checkboxes and forms for “demigod”, so many of the learning problems he’d had over the years had been treated with skepticism and sarcasm. But the flurry of medical reports Dr. Berger produced had turned the Student Service Department at Goode upside down. With forms filled out in terms they could comprehend (though not always the reason for them) they had begun providing him with the kind of support he could have used more effectively years ago. 

“Two o’clock,” Paul called out, interrupting his thoughts. Without even looking, Percy shifted his aim and blasted the alien. Demigod reflexes were excellent for video games. 

“Thanks.”

“So, what about your relationship?” Paul asked.

“What about it?” Percy said. He was a little confused.

“Well,” he cleared his throat. “You survived the school health class…”

“Oh, gods,” Percy groaned. “Not you, too. No. We are not having this conversation. I am not having this conversation. Again.” Percy was half tempted to throw his frag grenade at Paul’s character on screen, but then they’d lose the level.

“Again?”

“Yes. For like...the sixth time,” he said. “First, it was mom, when I was like, 13. Then Chiron, the following year. And believe me, it’s not any less uncomfortable coming from a centaur. Then there was a health class at my old middle school, the one where I blew up the gym. Then there was the Goode health class my sophomore year. Then, after Annabeth and I started dating, Dad decided to pop down from Olympus for a chat, that was right before the gods went quiet before the war with Gaea. And let me clue you, that one was no fun at all. It was total BS coming from him, the old hypocrite. I mean, I’m living proof of it.  _ And _ Athena felt the need to stick her nose in and tell me to behave myself around Annabeth. That one at least was devoid of any  _ details _ . Just a straight up warning about what might happen to me if I messed up. Threats I’m used to. Godly chats about the birds and the bees?” Percy shook his head. “Anyway, then we all had to suffer through the “where little satyrs come from” speech from Coach Hedge on the  _ Argo II _ after Annabeth and I accidentally fell asleep together one night on the cargo deck.” Percy shivered. “That’s like what….seven. Seven if you count the “break her heart and I’ll disintegrate you” chat with Athena.”

Paul was laughing so hard by now he had to pause the controller. He wiped his eyes. “I’m sorry, I shouldn't laugh. But…”where little satyrs come from”?”

“You wouldn’t be laughing if you’d had to sit through it. Poor Hazel. I didn’t think people with her skin coloring could even turn pink. But she sat there doing this the entire time and getting pinker and pinker.” Percy mimed fanning herself in that old fashioned gesture she used. This only made Paul laugh harder. “I’m going for a coke, you want one?” he asked, rising from the couch. Paul shook his head through the laughter.

By the time Percy got a coke from the fridge and returned to the couch, Paul had pulled himself together. “So, I guess I don’t need to fulfill any step-fatherly duties and ask if you’re using protection, or anything?”

“Gods, no. I mean, we’re not having sex, but even if we were, we wouldn’t be doing it without being safe about it. I mean, I get people not trusting me, I’m a mess sometimes, but seriously, Annabeth? She’s, like, the definition of precaution and planning.” 

“Well, that is true.” Paul allowed. He paused. “I’m a bit surprised, though.” 

“What, that we aren’t having sex?” Percy said. He shrugged. “I won’t say we don’t want to, but…”

“No opportunity?” 

“Not really,” he allowed, marveling that he was talking this frankly with his stepdad. “I mean, we were pretty much a mess when we first got back, and then it was back to school, and you know how strict the dorms are over at Annabeth’s school, and with Estelle over here.” He shrugged again. “We’ll get there. We’ve got our whole lives now.”

“And you’re never going to be apart again?” Paul said.

Percy shook his head firmly. “I mean, if it wouldn’t be really weird because we’re really young, I’d marry her tomorrow. I would take my wedding vow on the Styx, if she’d let me.”

“Why won’t she let you?” Paul asked.

“Promising things on the Styx sometimes has a way of coming back to bite you in the strangest ways, so yeah, I get it. But seriously, I’d marry her tonight. I don’t care if you call it fate, call it luck, call if karma…

“Are you really quoting “Ghostbusters” right now?”

Percy grinned. “Destiny then. Annabeth and I...that’s forever, Dad.” 

Since returning from Greece, Percy had gradually started calling Paul “Dad”, something that Percy knew made him very pleased. And especially since Estelle was born. Percy figured it wouldn’t do for Estelle to pick up on his lead and say “Paul” rather than “Da-Da”.

Paul paused. “Percy, I can’t claim to know or understand a whole lot about your world. I try, but you know how difficult it is. And ordinarily if I had a 17-, nearly 18-year-old kid telling me at school that he was thinking of marrying his girlfriend, I’d probably be telling him, in the kindest way possible, that he was nuts and needed to take a step back. That being said...what you and Annabeth have, what you’ve been through…” Paul shook his head. “I appreciate the fact that you recognize that it would be, as you say, ‘weird’. That being said, I have no doubt that you will get there eventually. I believe you when you say it’s forever. Your shared experiences have linked you. Hell, someday they may write myths and legends about the two of you.”

Percy snorted.

“And all that being said, you know that Sally and I love Annabeth like a daughter, and, I can’t believe I’m saying this, but if the two of you decide you want to get married, we’ll support you.” Paul looked earnest, but he did look a little wild around the edges, like he was having trouble believing he was telling his 17 year old stepson that he could go get married. 

Percy was touched, though. Paul had worked so hard to understand and be supportive of Percy. And he’d been there for mom during the long months that he’d been missing. And his help in getting Percy back on track for his senior year couldn’t be calculated. 

“Thanks, Dad,” Percy said. “That means a lot. But I wouldn’t worry about it quite yet. I don’t think Annabeth is quite ready for that step.”

Paul nodded, and they were silent for a moment. 

“Back to the game?” Percy asked.

“Back to the game,” Paul agreed.


	6. 6: Annabeth

Sally and Annabeth were having a blast. They’d been to Macy’s and JCPenney, but hadn’t found anything she liked yet, but she’d had fun trying things on. A lot of the dresses they’d looked at had been ridiculously short, apparently that was the style this year. Annabeth wasn’t comfortable in tight fitting dresses. Sally repeatedly told her that she looked fabulous, and she supposed she was right. There was an advantage to staying combat fit, but she felt constrained in the tight fitting clothes, her range of motion limited.

So they’d ended up in a bridal shop. The sales clerk, a woman named Rosalina, welcomed them, and asked them what they were looking for.

“A prom gown,” Sally said. “A gown, though, not a dress. Something stunning and refined. Not flashy and trending.”

Rosalina gave them a calculating look, carefully looking Annabeth up and down. “Come this way,” she said, and began to lead toward the bridesmaids section of the store. On the way, Annabeth slowed down. There was a manikin wearing a wedding gown, a simple white gown with a flowing white skirt, but smooth satin, no real embellishment. The gown was off the shoulder, plain, but elegant. It reminded her of the dress her mother always seemed to be wearing in pictures. Annabeth paused to run her hand over the smooth fabric.

“You like it?” Sally asked.

“It’s pretty," Annabeth admitted.

They continued on, following the saleswoman, who settled them down in a sitting area, and offered them coffee and other refreshments. The store was quiet, but there were a few other women in the store. There appeared to be a bigger party over on the wedding dress side, perhaps a bride doing a fitting with a couple of bridesmaids along for the ride.

“Let me bring you a couple of options,” Rosilina said, and she bustled off.

“How are you doing, Annabeth?” Sally asked. “It’s been a while since we’ve had a girls chat.”

“I’m all right,” she answered. “School is hard, but I’m getting through.”

“And how is Percy? Is he behaving himself?” Sally asked.

Annabeth laughed. “In as much as he can. I’m really proud of how he’s doing in school. I know this hasn’t been easy for him. But we’re going to make it, and he’s going to be able to go to college.” Annabeth shook her head. “Not something I ever thought he’d manage.”

“Me either,” Sally admitted. “I never thought he’d be in one school for more than a year at a time.” A pause. “You realize that part of the reason he’s worked so hard this year is because he was terrified that you would go off to college without him. That fear was a great motivator.”

Annabeth sighed. “I know. And a part of me worried about that. I still am worried, sometimes. But it’s a joint worry, I mean, I’m worried about me too. I’ve talked about it with Dr. Berger. I don’t want us to be reliant on each other to an unhealthy degree. We’re a team, but we also need to be our own people.”

“Have you talked to Percy about this?” Sally asked.

“Yes, and he’s been open to helping me with my feelings. And Dr. Berger has had us in joint sessions, too. We’ve gotten better about being apart. We no longer feel like we need to be together all the time. And we’re cultivating separate interests. We hang out with friends separate from one another, we do our own things. So, yeah, it’s okay. We’re getting better.”

“But you still want to go to college with him?”

“Of course!” Annabeth said. “I mean, he’s still my boyfriend. My best friend, my….everything, really. Don’t get me wrong, Percy and I...well, nothing can come between us. I feel the same way he does about that. Percy is...well, he’s a lot more open about his feeling that we’re forever. And I don’t disagree. Gods, no. I don’t disagree. You can’t go through what we’ve been through and not feel it, in your heart. Percy is there to stay, and I’m never going to stop loving him. But it’s a scary feeling sometimes, when you’re 17. Normal people...don’t say those things at 17.” Annabeth laughed. “We’re not normal, of course, but still.”

“No, never normal,” Sally agreed. She paused. “So, I’m probably going to regret asking this question…”

Annabeth felt the heat rise in her cheeks as her eyes widened. She was not… “No," she said quickly. “No, we’re not.”

Sally smirked at her with a raised eyebrow. “I was going to ask if you’ve talked about getting married, but I somehow think you answered a different question.”

Annabeth would have liked nothing more than a legion of monsters to come bursting through the door right about then, to extricate her from this conversation, which apparently had been entirely of her own making. “Oh,” she said softly, cheeks burning. She was looking everywhere except at Sally, who looked like she was about to burst laughing.

“But I suppose that’s good to know, too. A bit of a relief, if not a little surprising.” Sally said. “I don’t know why, but I assumed you were. You two are off together alone, quite a bit.”

Annabeth felt like her face was on fire. “We...um...we’re…I’m…” she had been reduced to incoherence. She was  _ not _ talking about this with her boyfriend's mother. She took a deep breath. “We’re...being good,” she finally said.

Sally laughed. “I’m not judging, Annabeth. After all, I wasn’t too much older than you are now when I met Poseidon. And I don’t really think you need the reminder, but just, be careful. I don’t regret having Percy for one single instant, but I do wonder sometimes how my life might have been different if I had been a little bit more responsible at 19.” Annabeth smiled weakly. “But back to my original question. Have you talked about marriage?”

Annabeth felt her cheeks starting to cool off as the topic moved to something less embarrassing. “Um. Well. Not...seriously. I think. I mean...Percy…”

“Percy?” Sally asked. “Percy brought it up?”

“Percy has said repeatedly that he would marry me the moment I said I was ready,” Annabeth said. “I mean, I don’t know that he exactly meant it that way.”

Sally laughed. “I wouldn’t count on that. You know how impulsive he is.”

“Yes,” Annabeth agreed. “He is.”

“You liked that wedding dress?” Sally pointed over her shoulder.

“It’s nice. I like the clean lines,” Annabeth admitted.

Rosalina finally returned, Annabeth wished she hadn’t been so long, they might have avoided severe embarrassment. She had several dresses for her to try on. “I’ve picked out a few you might like. Let’s go see.”

A few minutes later, Annabeth was feeling much more optimistic. These dresses were much better. They were longer, for starters, and Annabeth was far more comfortable in the longer skirts. She at least didn’t feel like she had to keep tugging the hemline down to avoid flashing everyone. And there was more freedom of movement. They were better, but they weren’t quite what she wanted. And then Rosalina handed her the next dress. She knew she was going to like it before she even tried it on. For starters, she knew Percy would like it. It was royal blue, with gold trimming. She slipped it on, and Sally helped her zip up.

“Oh, Annabeth,” Sally breathed. “This is the one.”

Annabeth couldn’t help but agree. It was a halter top, with a princess waist. The dress was open at the back. There was a braided gold rope belt at the waist, and a slit in the skirt that went nearly to her hip.

“Oh, yes,” Rosalina agreed, “And here, I have just the thing.” She disappeared for a moment, and returned with a golden circlet which she placed on Annabeth’s head.

“Do you really think so?” Annabeth asked, shyly. She looked at her reflection in the dressing room mirrors. She didn’t think she could ever be this beautiful. She turned. “Oh...I don’t know.” She was looking in the mirror at her back. There was a visible white scar across her back, one she knew she’d gotten in Tartarus. “Maybe something with a back.”

“No,” said Sally firmly. “You have nothing to hide from Percy.”

Annabeth turned and looked at Sally who was regarding her steadily. “You earned them,” she said. “Don’t need to hide them. From anyone.”

Annabeth felt her eyes well up with tears of gratitude. She’d always felt self conscious about her scars. Not as much at camp. At camp everyone had them. But at school, she’d always been careful. She was careful when she showered in the dorm. She explained the scar on her neck as a sports accident, when asked. She’d always been afraid of them. She’d never thought of herself as pretty, and scars hardly helped.

“Thank you,” she said, blinking away the tears that threatened.

“You are beautiful, Annabeth. And Percy will love the dress,” she said.

Annabeth turned and looked in the mirror. “Yeah,” she said, smiling at herself a little. “I think he will.” She fished under her armpit for where she’d seen the price tag.

“Nope,” Sally swooped in, and snagged the tag off the dress and handed it to Rosalina.

“Sally!” Annabeth exclaimed. “You can’t! You can’t pay for my dress and Percy’s tux. It’s too much!"

Sally shook her head. "Not me. I called your Dad last week. He told me to make sure you had everything you need."

Annabeth felt a surge of love, but also guilt. She hadn't seen her dad since the summer, and she hadn't called as often as she should. But he did love her, and he did try. "Oh."

"It's okay, dear. He understands. And he loves you." She turned to Rosalinia, "We'll take it "

“Excelente!” Rosalinia said. “Now, let’s find you some shoes, so we can get that hem pinned up. I think it’s going to need to come up some.”

A few minutes later, Annabeth was standing in front of the mirror again, this time wearing strappy three inch heels that were made to match the color of the dress. Rosalina and Sally were chattering away while Rosalina pinned up the hem. Annabeth watched herself in the mirror, wondering what Percy’s reaction to the dress would be.

“Will you take a picture?” she asked Sally. “I want to send it to Piper, at some point.”

That was a worry that cropped up again. The West Coast had pretty much gone silent. Granted, everyone was busy, and Annabeth was vaguely aware that Piper’s dad had been in the news...money troubles? Tax problems? She couldn’t remember. But still, they should have heard  _ something _ .

“Sure, dear.” Sally pulled out her phone and snapped a few pictures.

“Okay,” Rosalina said, “All set. You can take it off now, and we’ll get it hemmed up for you.”

Annabeth took off the dress, and Rosalina swept it away.

“While she’s gone,” Sally said. “I have one more for you to try on.”

“Oh?” Annabeth looked at her curiously. Sally reached around behind the couch and pulled out the wedding dress she’d been admiring earlier. Annabeth’s eyebrows rose up to her hairline. When Sally had snuck out of the fitting area to get it, she wasn’t sure...maybe it was when she’d gone to the restroom…? “Oh, no, I couldn’t…”

“Why not?” Sally said. “What’s the harm in trying it on?”

Annabeth bit her lip, and took the dress from Sally. She pulled it on, and Sally stood behind her. Annabeth caught Sally's expression in the mirror as she zipped the dress up. Annabeth looked herself up and down and made a turn in the mirrors. "Wow."

It was simple, and elegant and refined and Annabeth felt 10 years older wearing it. She could imagine herself wearing this, marrying Percy. He wanted to get married at camp, at the beach, assuming he could get someone to let his family into the camp.

"It's beautiful on you. It fits your personality," Sally said.

"I agree, it's perfect for you, darling," a new voice. "I told your love life would be interesting!"

Annabeth and Sally both turned. Two new women were standing at the entrance to the fitting room and Annabeth had decidedly mixed feelings about their appearance. One was dressed like she'd just walked off the set of "Sex and the City", but her apperance kept shifting. She had long dark hair, just as she had had in Charleston. The other was dressed more simply, but she was no less beautiful, in a white blouse and grey dress pants. Sally's eyes had gone as wide as saucers. "Sally, I'd like you to meet Lady Aphrodite," Annabeth said, gesturing at the woman who had spoken. "And...this is my mom."

"Lady Aphrodite, Lady Athena, it's an honor." Sally dipped a small curtsy at the two goddesses.

Aphrodite waved in her direction but continued to fawn over Annabeth's dress. Her mom crossed to Sally. "You are a remarkable woman, Sally Jackson." She studied Sally for a long moment. "I can see why Poseidon broke his oath for you. You have interested me for quite some time, ever since your son first made his mark on Olympus. I am pleased to finally make your acquaintance. Your son has proven to be extraordinarily resilient, and I believe we can attribute that to you."

"Thank you, Lady Athena."

"I would also be remiss if I did not recognize the uncommon kindness you have shown to my daughter over the years. Your capacity for affection is very great indeed."

"Annabeth is easy to love, my lady."

Athena nodded. "I am aware that I am not the most affectionate of parents." Aphrodite snorted. "So I appreciate what you have done for Annabeth."

Athena turned to Annabeth. "Hello, Annabeth."

"Hi, Mom," Annabeth said. "I...didn't expect to see you here."

"Aphrodite insisted I come."

"I love prom!" Aphrodite said, briefly morphing into the image of a high school cheerleader. “I love the dress you picked out. It’s so sweet you’re going to wear Percy’s favorite color.”

“Thank you, Lady Aphrodite.”

“And this dress will be perfect for your wedding, don’t you think, Athena?”

Athena looked her up and down. “It is quite flattering,” she admitted. “You are a beautiful woman, Annabeth. I know you don’t always think of yourself that way, because you are known for your wisdom and intellect, but you are beautiful.”

Damnit, everyone was just determined to make her cry today. “Thank you, Mom,” she managed.

“And while I’ve always had my reservations about the Jackson boy, he has proved himself over and over. And while I warned him that his fatal flaw would be his loyalty, I have come to discover it is not always a bad thing, particularly where you are concerned. His decision to follow you into Tartarus was...humbling.” Athena said. “Though those days were difficult for me, some part of me was aware of what had happened, and was grateful to know that Percy was with you, for though we thought your odds of surviving were extremely low, it was comforting to know that you would not be alone if the worst came.”

“It was so romantic,” Aphrodite concurred. “I nearly swooned when he let go of the ledge.”

Annabeth was shocked at this revelation, though Sally looked a little green at the thought that even the gods thought they wouldn’t make it out alive. “That’s...good,” Annabeth said.

Athena’s mouth quirked into a wry smile. “Indeed. So. You know my views on marriage.” Aphroditie groaned. Athena ignored her. “But if you must, I suppose Percy Jackson is a worthy match for you.”

Annabeth swallowed past the lump in her throat. “Thank you, Mother.”

Athena nodded. She snapped her fingers. The wedding dress disappeared, and Annabeth was dressed in the clothes she’d gone out in. “It will be ready for you, when the time comes.”

“And here, dearie,” Aphroditie said, handing her a makeup compact. “A little something from me. You’ll get two uses out of it, so use them wisely. I think Percy’s prom will be good for the first time, and you can probably guess when to use the second.” Aphrodite winked at her.

“And I have a gift for you, Sally Jackson,” Athena said, “A thanks for the care you have shown to my daughter. I understand you have recently had another child with your mortal husband.”

“Y..y..yes,” Sally said.

“She and Paul are really quite good together.I was so happy for you two when you found each other.” Aphrodite said. “And Estelle is a darling, my dear. I predict she will be just as beautiful as you. Maybe she will catch a god someday, too.”

“Hush.” Athena told her, rolling her eyes. “I doubt that is what she would want for the child, given what she’s been through.” Aphroditie pouted. Athena held out a small, stuffed owl. “This token is infused with the power of Aegis, my shield. No monster may enter your home while it is present. Your home may always be a haven for all, demigod or mortal. You and your family will be safe within its walls.”

Annabeth felt her eyes grow wide. Sally staggered. “A gift beyond price, Lady Athena,” Sally said, bowing. “I thank you.”

Athena waved this away. “Your son has paid for it many times over, as has your kindness.”

Athena turned back to Annabeth. “Enjoy the remainder of the school year, Annabeth. I fear there may still be challenges that await you in the future.” Aphrodite sighed.

“Lord Apollo?” Annabeth asked.

Athena pursed her lips. “His journey still hangs in the balance. But that is not your concern at the moment. For now, we must return to Olympus. I bid you farewell, I am proud of you, Annabeth.”

“Don’t forget to invite me to the wedding!” Aphrodite said. “I love weddings!”

Athena rolled her eyes. “Avert your eyes,” she said, speaking to both Annabeth and Sally. They turned away and Annabeth could see the flash of light through her eyes squeezed shut as her mother and Aphroditie departed.

“All set,” Rosalina said, reentering the fitting room. “I’ll pack up the shoes and the circlet, as well?”


	7. 7: Percy

Percy was at the dining room table doing homework when he heard the front door open. “We’re back!” he heard Annabeth call. And then she was there, putting her arms around him and resting her chin on his head. “Miss me?”

“Always,” he said, twisting his head up and puckering his lips. She rewarded him with a kiss. “Did you have a good time?” he asked.

“Yes, we had a great time,” she said.

“Did you find a dress?”

“Yes.”

“Can I see it?” he asked hopefully.

“No. It’s not ready yet. It has to be hemmed. And no, you can’t see it when I pick it up. I want it to be a surprise,” she said. She sat down in the chair next to him. “What are you working on?”

“Physics,” he said.

“It still is a marvel to me that you actually do homework on a Friday night these days,” his mom said, entering the kitchen. She’d gone first to the living room to check on Paul, who was watching TV with Estelle in his lap. She’d woken up about 40 minutes ago, and Percy had changed her diaper, and Paul had given her her bottle and now she was passed out again while Paul watched some show on ancient ruins on the Discovery channel. His mom placed a stuffed owl on the table in front of Percy.

“That’s cute, where’d you find that?” he asked Annabeth. “You hoping Estelle takes after you and your mom?” he grinned. Percy put down his book and reached for the owl.

“Actually,” Annabeth said. “Funny you should mention Mom…”

He touched the owl, and his eyes went wide. "Woah...this thing is...what...” he looked between his mom and his girlfriend. He raised his eyebrows in question.

“Lady Athena is very kind,” Sally said, taking another chair at the table.

“Oh.” Percy blinked. “You got to meet Annabeth’s mom? She decided to join you for prom dress shopping?”

“It was Aphrodite’s idea,” Annabeth said. “She was there, too.”

“Oh gods,” Percy said. “Really?”

“Yes, really,” Annabeth said.

“Her mom hates me,” Percy said to his mother.

“Actually,” Sally said, “I didn’t get that impression.”

Percy blinked hard. “No kidding?”

“You know how Mom feels about marriage,” Annabeth said. “So don’t take it personally. But she told me tonight that if I was going to insist, then at least you were a worthy partner.”

“Your mom said that about me?” Percy was stunned. Considering when he’d first met Athena she’d thought that killing him might be the simplest solution to the gods’ problems, this was like waking up to find Apollo had gotten drunk and was making the sun rise in the west.

“Yes. I think she was grateful to you for helping me survive Tartarus.”

“Aphrodite just thought it was romantic,” Sally pointed out.

“Aphroditie thinks that heroes’ love lives are her own personal reality show,” Percy said. “Even Piper says so.”

“Anyway,” Annabeth continued. “Mom wanted to do something to thank Sally for being so nice to me, and, at least in part, for raising you to be a good hero.” Sally blushed. Annabeth picked up the owl. “This is infused with Aegis. No monster can enter your home so long as it’s here.”

Percy didn’t know that he could take many more surprises. This one really took the cake. “No shit?”

“Percy!” his mother scolded.

“Sorry,” He took the owl carefully from Annabeth. “That’s...that’s an amazing gift, Mom. That’s…damn...I mean…” he sighed, looking at the owl. “I wish…”

Annabeth put a hand on his arm. “I know what you’re thinking, but you know how the gods work.”

“Yeah, I know,” he sighed.

Sally looked between the two of them. “What?”

“Percy is thinking that if it were that easy to protect this house from monsters, why can’t every demigod be protected in their home, all the time. And I’m sure he’s thinking of all the years you put up with Gabe, just to protect him,” Annabeth answered. Percy nodded. All those things were running through his head.

“Don’t get me wrong,” Percy said. “I’m not mad at your mom, and I’m going to burn an offering to her first chance I get. Especially for the part where she doesn’t hate me. But, a part of me is just a little bit bitter that they could do things like this, but they don’t.” He sighed, and stood up. He took the owl, and walked out to the living room. Annabeth followed him.

He sat down next to Paul, who was holding Estelle. He tucked the owl in next to her, cradled in Paul’s arms.

“What’s that?” Paul asked.

“Present from Annabeth’s mom,” he said.

“Step-mom?” Paul asked in confusion.

“Mom-mom,” Percy said. “Long story. We’ll explain it later,” he said, ignoring the startled surprise on Paul’s face. He stood up and put his arm around Annabeth. “It’s good she’ll be safe.”

“Yes,” Annabeth held him.

“So, what about your dress, is it pretty?”

“Yes, you’ll like it,” she said. “Everyone thought so. Mom, your mom, even Aphroditite liked it.”

“Well, I’m sure you’ll be beautiful then,” Percy said. He shook off his feelings of bitterness and focused on Annabeth. “I can’t wait to see it. I can’t believe that your mom and Aphroditie showed up to go prom dress shopping with you. That’s like…” He shook his head. “I sincerely doubt my Dad would show up to help me pick out a tux, or anything like that. Was it nice to see her?”

Annabeth paused. “Yes, it was. I guess. I wish Aphroditie hadn’t had to drag her along, but I guess I’m grateful to her for it. I’ll sacrifice something to her for it. It was nice to hear Mom say nice things about me.” She shrugged. “She called me beautiful.”

“You are beautiful,” he said. “I keep telling you that.” He bumped into her hip.

“You have to say it, you’re my boyfriend,” Annabeth said. “It was nice to hear it from someone else.”

Percy knew that Annabeth sometimes felt insecure about her appearance, that she was only really known for her brains as opposed to her looks. But she was beautiful. He kissed the top of her head.

“Was there anything else they said?”

“No…” Annabeth hesitated. “Well, Mom said she ‘fears there may still be challenges that await you in the future’. And she says Apollo’s fate ‘hangs in the balance’.”

“That doesn’t sound good,” he said.

“No, not really,” Annabeth agreed. “But there’s nothing we can do about it now, so let's figure out this physics homework, shall we?”


	8. 8: Annabeth

"Any questions?" 

Annabeth had about a million of them, but if there was one thing she'd learned in school, it was you did not make yourself popular by asking questions when the teacher was about to dismiss class. You waited till everyone left and asked them privately. 

"I'll wait," Ava said as she packed her notebook. "I know that look."

"Thanks," Annabeth said. She took her notebook to the front of the class as everyone else was leaving to ask her questions about torque and rotational motion and how they applied in architecture. 

Ava was still waiting for her, 10 minutes later, when Annabeth finished, with the teacher promising to meet with her during her office hours to go over some new load calculations that she was doing on designs for Olympus. Not that the teacher knew what they were for. What she thought of the designs Annabeth brought to her, Annabeth could only guess. 

“Thanks for waiting,” Annabeth said, as they headed off toward the dining hall for lunch.

Ava shrugged. “No big deal.” Annabeth often waited for Ava when she stopped to question her English teachers. Ava was an aspiring professor, an avid reader of classic literature. She was always quoting Jane Austen and the Bronte sisters, and all those other dead Brits. She even looked the part, with her curly brown hair and glasses. She and Annabeth were academics, cut from the same bolt of cloth, along with a couple of others, like Annabeth’s roommate, Kirsten, and Kassandra. It was Kassandra who was waiting for them in the dining hall.

“Hey,” she said, greeting them. “Did you stop to talk to Dr. Matthews again?” she asked Annabeth.

“Of course,” Ava answered for her. “More of her Greek temple designs.”

“Ah,” Kassandra said. “You and your mythology,” she said, waving her hand. “It’s a wonder you’re not going to be a classics major.”

“I’d rather build them,” Annabeth said. “Classics is for people who want to dig up old ones.” This was familiar territory for all of them.

“Well, I’ll probably be the one hiring you to build things, but probably not those temples you are so fond of.” Kassandra was interested in finance, a curiously wordly profession for the person that Annabeth, Ava and Kirsten saw as the most innocent of their group. Kassandra had a boyfriend, Anthony, back in her hometown upstate, but as near as Annabeth could tell, they’d barely done anything more than kiss. Kassandra just gave off an ingenue vibe that was totally at odds with her rather ruthless business ambitions. 

“Where’s Kirsten?” Ava asked. The four girls usually had lunch together. 

“Protesting,” Annabeth said. “I think. Or something. Her AP Government class was supposed to be going to some political event today, and I think Kirsten was planning on doing something that might get her suspended. Again.” Annabeth’s roommate Kirsten was into politics and social justice, and talked about majoring in women’s studies. Annabeth was ashamed to admit she didn’t follow politics nearly as closely as she should, but mortal politics just didn’t seem to matter to her. 

“Oh, I hope not,” Kassandra said. “Last time she got suspended, Dr. Bergeron warned her that she might be made ineligible for extracurriculars if she kept it up, and we need her on debate team.” 

They made it to the front of the line, where Annabeth got herself a salad with grilled chicken. They had chocolate chip cookies today, and she took two, smiling to herself as she did so. She usually didn’t take dessert at lunch time, but she never missed a chance for chocolate chip cookies, for Percy’s sake. 

“Cookies again?” Kassandra asked. 

Annabeth shrugged. “For Percy. Though they aren’t blue,” she mused.

“Blue cookies?” Ava asked.

“Percy has a thing for blue food, it’s a thing he does with his mom,” Annabeth said. The others just shrugged. 

“Are you going out for tennis?” Ava asked Kassandra. Try-outs for spring sports were starting up in a week. 

Kassandra nodded. “How about you Annabeth? Have you made a decision on fencing?”

Annabeth had toyed with the idea of going out for the girls fencing team when she’d first heard about it a few weeks ago. But after doing some research, she decided it really wouldn’t do much to keep her in training. Fencing was pretty stylized, and not at all like the combat she was used to. Annabeth shrugged. “I’m leaning toward no. I don’t need the distraction with the AP tests coming up.”

“What are you going to do after they’re done, though? We’ll still have almost a month of school left,” Ava said.

“I’ll find something to keep me occupied,” Annabeth replied.

“More temple designs?” Ava asked. “Or did you mean Percy?” Kassandra giggled. 

Annabeth rolled her eyes. “I’ve got college prep work to do.”

“How come I’ve never heard of this place you’re going to in the fall?” Ava asked. “I couldn’t find it in my Princeton Review.” 

“It’s…” Annabeth hesitated. Telling her friends that it was ‘pretty exclusive’ might sound insulting in this context. They were all near the top of the class, and aside from Annabeth, the girls at the Forester School were decidedly  _ not _ middle class. Exclusive was a word that generally applied to others. “Complicated. It’s not well known.” 

“I’ll say,” Ava said. “My college counselor hadn’t even heard of it.”

Annabeth arched an eyebrow at her. “And why were you asking your college counselor?” she asked, though she was pretty certain she knew the reason. Ava, despite the fact that she and Annabeth were good friends, was insanely competitive, at least academically. She’d want to know if she could get into the school that Annabeth was going to, even if she never seriously considered going there. Just to be sure. Ava had applied to  _ all _ the Ivy League schools, and Stanford, and Oxford, and Cambridge. And probably some Annabeth had forgotten as well. 

Ava did have the grace to blush, a little. “I was curious about it.”

Annabeth grinned. It was probably annoying Ava greatly that she couldn’t figure out how to apply to New Rome University. “It’s got a good architecture program, but I don’t think it’s known for its English Literature department.” Which was probably true. Classics, on the other hand, they did have in spades. If you didn’t mind getting your lectures from laeres. 

“I’m still going to make more money than both of you,” Kassandra pointed out. She was headed to UPenn for their business school. 

“There are more things on heaven and earth,” Ava quoted Hamet at her. 

“You’ll be dead and gone, and your books will be moldy, but I will have constructed a monument that will last for ages,” Annabeth pointed out. “Someday.”

“Only if you can get someone to pay for it,” Kassandra pointed out. Annabeth shrugged, and grinned inwardly. It was a shame she couldn’t tell her that her patrons had more money than she could possibly imagine. Not that Kassandra would believe her anyway. She’d probably demand an accounting of the Olympus treasury just to prove it. 

“How was pottery this morning?” Ava asked Kassandra. Kassandra had somehow gotten to her senior year without filling her arts credit, and guidance had signed her up for pottery. Which she hated. Mostly because she was terrible at it. 

“My vase collapsed. Ms. Pope suggested I should turn it into an ashtray. Who even  _ uses _ ashtrays anymore?” Kassandra said. “Seriously, who even smokes anymore?”

“Stoners?” Ava suggested.

“Ugh.” Kassandra hung her head in despair. “I’m going to fail pottery, and I’m not going to graduate.”

“No one fails pottery. You just have to try, and Pope will give you an A. It’s the A for effort class. It’s why they put you there,” Ava assured her.

“I wish I had taken photography. At least I know how to point a camera,” Kassandra said. “How come they didn’t make you take an art?” she asked Annabeth.

“I have a bunch of art credits,” Annabeth admitted. “Most from my old school. But I did take drawing last year, too. That was before we met.”

Annabeth had not connected with many kids during the first part of last year, right after the Battle of Manhattan. And then Percy disappeared. She’d first met Kassandra shortly after Percy had gone missing. She’d helped cheer Annabeth up in history class with her running commentary on various aspects of school life, and saved her butt with helping her understand the class when Annabeth had barely been able to keep herself afloat with worry. Kassandra had helped more than she would ever know. Kassandra had also been the one to introduce her to Ava, who had turned out to be in Annabeth’s English Literature class. And of course, there was Kirsten, who had been her roommate last year as well. Kirsten had naturally been the first to notice that Annabeth was coming apart, and she’d reached out to help. What Kirsten had made of the sleepless nights and nightmares, Annabeth shuddered to imagine. But she’d always been quietly helpful, and never judgy. It could have been so much worse. If say, she’d gotten a roommate along the lines of Drew Tanaka back at camp. Annabeth shivered. 

“Not fair.” Kassandra said. 

“Architecture...I needed to be able to draw,” Annabeth explained. 

“Do you think UPenn will rescind my acceptance if I get a D in Pottery?” Kassandra asked.

“No,” Ava assured her. “You’ll be fine.” Kassandra sighed. “Look on the bright side, at least you didn’t have to worry about a PE credit since you play a sport. That was awful.”

Annabeth winced. She had managed to convince the school that she’d taken PE. (She hadn’t, actually, but she’d gotten Coach Hedge to draw up a certificate saying she’d done an intensive summer physical education and self defense course before school had started last fall). But Annabeth had seen the PE classes running the laps around the gym, or around the little park near the dorms. Annabeth had never been one for style, and she wore shorts and her Camp t-shirt all summer, more or less, but the school PE uniforms were horrid. 

Kirsten arrived just then, crashing into the seat next to Annabeth with a thud. Kirsten was like that. She always made an entrance. “Hey, chicas,” Kirsten said. She was wearing her uniform, but over it, she wore a bright pink t-shirt that read “I stand with Planned Parenthood.”

“Did you get suspended again?” Kassandra asked, looking worried.

“Nah. It was a silent protest this time. Though Dr. Bergeron did give me the stink eye when I came back from the ladies room with the t-shirt on. I don’t think the good State Assemblyman appreciated it though. They didn’t end up taking a group photo, which I think had been on the agenda. Oh well.” She didn’t sound repentant in the least, stealing french fries off of Ava’s tray. 

“Didn’t you guys eat on the way back?”

“Panera,” Kirsten confirmed. “But there’s nothing like dining hall french fries.” 

Kassanda glanced at her phone. “I’ve got to go. I need to talk to Dr. Pelch before class starts. I have some questions about the Ecology test.”

“I’ll go with you,” Annabeth offered. “I’m going that way for AP Chem.” 

“Thanks,” Kassandra said. They made their way to the tray return and headed off toward the Science building. 

“How’s Anthony?” Annabeth asked as they walked. 

“He’s good. He’s a little nervous about finishing out the year. He’s going to Harvard in the fall, and that’s even further away from UPenn than he is from New York City,” Kassandra wrinkled her nose. “He wanted me to pick the Harvard Business School. I almost did.”

“Why didn’t you?” Annabeth asked.

“Their undergrad program isn’t as good. I might go there for my MBA, after,” she said. 

“Hm.” Annabeth said noncommittally. Personally, she wasn’t sure how serious Kassandra was about Anthony, but she tried not to judge based on her own romantic experiences. Not everyone could have a boyfriend who would willingly fall into hell so you wouldn’t fall alone. 

“How’s Percy?” Kassandra asked.

“He’s good,” she replied. “I’ll see him tomorrow, probably.”

“You are lucky,” Kassandra sighed. “I won’t see Anthony till prom, probably.” 

“Does that bother you?” Annabeth asked.

“Some,” Kassandra blushed. “I mean, he is a good kisser.” 

Annabeth laughed. “Well, that is important,” she said, as she held the door open for Kassandra and entered the Science Building. 

“So what are you and Percy doing tomorrow?” 

“Probably getting pizza and doing homework,” Annabeth admitted. “At his mom’s kitchen table.”

Kassandra laughed. “Last of the great romantics, huh? How did he ask you to prom?”

“He just showed up on the dorm steps, and said. ‘We’re having a prom. I assume you’re coming with me.’ And I said ‘of course.’ We’re not into the sappy, over the top romance.”

“Anthony sent me roses with a card, asking to take me to his prom,” Kassandra sighed. “I had to say no. His prom is on a Friday night,and I can’t miss class to drive upstate. But he is coming here for ours.”

“Cool,” Annabeth said. She felt a twinge of jealousy. She didn’t really expect grand romantic gestures, she didn’t need them to know Percy loved her. But still. Roses sounded nice. “Have you got a dress yet?”

Kassandra shook her head. “My mom’s coming down to the city next weekend to take me shopping. When’s your dress coming in?”

“A week or two,” Annabeth said. The bridal shop was running a bit behind, it was wedding dress shopping season for all those June weddings, and proms on top of that, but Annabeth had plenty of time. “I love it,” she allowed, confidentially. 

"I can’t wait to see it,” Kassandra said. “I’m sure you’ll be gorgeous. I can’t believe you don’t have a picture. When  _ are _ you going to get your phone fixed?”

“Soon, I hope,” Annabeth said. “But I’m managing.”

They arrived at Kassandra’s Ecology classroom, and Annabeth waved her friend off as she went in to see Dr. Pelch, and headed toward AP Chem. She always enjoyed Dr. Campbell’s class. She always started class with a trivia question. Annabeth wasn’t great, because a lot of it was pop culture, but Dr. Campbell had always tried to recruit her for the Academic Challenge team anyway. 

Annabeth slid into her seat, just before the bell rang, and Dr. Campbell smiled. “Good morning everyone!” She picked up the one-a-day calendar from the lab bench. “Which fruit carries its seeds on the outside?”

Annabeth grinned. She knew this one. She raised her hand.

“Annabeth?”

“Strawberries.”


	9. 9: Percy

“I need your help,” Josh announced as they entered the pool locker room. The season had ended at the beginning of March, but several of the seniors, including Percy, intended to swim in college, and they wanted to keep in training. So they got together to train at the Y on Thursday evenings. And besides, Percy just found it fun. Not as fun as ocean swimming, granted, since pool chemicals still left him feeling a bit off, but it was more fun than most other forms of exercise. And he wanted to keep in shape. He couldn’t spar much during the school year, though he and Annabeth did, whenever they could find some place where they wouldn’t break anything or cause a scene. People tended to get the wrong idea if they saw them sparring. Annabeth had to explain to a New York Cop that no, she had not been attempting to murder her boyfriend, they had just been practing martial arts. He had politely but firmly told them that Central Park was really not the place for that. 

“With what?” Percy asked, as they began changing into their swimsuits. Percy detested the skintight shorts the team wore, but had to admit they did improve his times over wearing regular swim trunks, and he’d rather swim in the Cocytus again than wear a Speedo, despite Annabeth’s half teasing about it. 

“I want to ask Darah to go to prom with me, but I...uh,” Josh hesitated. “I don’t know how.”

“Okay,” Percy said. “Where do I come in?”

“Well, you asked Annabeth, right? How did you do it?”

Percy sighed. “Annabeth and I aren’t really into the big romantic gestures, Josh. I just said. ‘Hey, we’re having a prom, coming with, right?’ and she said ‘of course’ and that was that.” It was a paraphrase, but it was close enough. “I take it you want to do something really impressive for her?”

“Well...yeah. I want it to be memorable,” Josh said, stuffing his clothes into his duffel and shoving into the locker. He took the key and hooked it to the chain around his neck. Percy did likewise. You couldn’t be too careful at the Y. Percy didn’t like it, since it would take him longer to get to Riptide in an emergency, but he also didn’t want someone jacking his stuff out of the locker. It had been known to happen to people who got careless. 

“Right, so, what do you want from me?” Percy asked again.

“Ideas?” Josh said hopefully as they left the locker room. Darah, Yose and Emma were already changed, and stretching before they got in the pool. Darah was medium height, with hair a couple shades lighter than Rachel Elizabeth Dare’s. She was headed to SUNY Alfred in the fall to study veterinary science. 

Percy sighed, and looked towards the ceiling. He wanted to say something like.  _ Do I look like an Aphrodite kid? _ But that wouldn’t have made any sense to Josh. “I’ll think about it,” he finally said. 

“Where’s Kamal tonight?” Emma asked, seeing only Josh and Percy leave the locker room. Kamal was the team’s long distance specialist; his big frame wasn’t fast, but he could swim forever. Kamal’s parents had immigrated from Nigeria when he was two, and he often joked that he was the only black kid in New York who hated basketball. 

“Coming later,” Josh said. “Had to stay with his sister till his folks got home.”

“What about San?” Yose asked Emma. Emma was tall, with blonde-ish hair, and was the team’s best butterfly swimmer except for Percy. Her dad was a Wall Street banker, and she was planning to study finance in college as well. 

“Studying for something,” she said, “Not coming.” San was Chinese, and they accused him of being a walking stereotype, because he claimed he only swam because it looked good on his college applications. He was in the top five in the graduating class. Percy often thought that the four senior guys would make a great opening line to a joke: A Greek, a Jew, a Muslim and a Chinese guy walk into a bar...

“No Gianna tonight?” Percy asked Yose. Yose and Gianna were dating. 

“Calc test tomorrow,” she said. 

“Aren’t you in Gianna’s calc class?” Percy asked Josh. 

Josh shrugged. “It would take a miracle on the scale of the parting of the Red Sea to change my C at this point. I’d rather swim.”

Percy sighed disapprovingly, before realizing he was turning into Annabeth. “Whatever, dude,” Percy said. “Let’s do some warm up laps.”

They dove into the pool, and did their warm up laps. Then they began their practice in earnest. Typically, the girls would start, then the guys, taking turns timing races, and working through the various strokes. Percy’s best stroke was the freestyle, and that’s where he had set most of his records. His worst was the butterfly. The technical points of it were too complicated for him to really get into a flow. He was still the best on his team. Emma, tall and lanky, was the only person on the team who could pace him, because it was her best stroke. 

Percy loved the flow of the water, the feeling of speed. He loved to move fast, and was a natural sprinter. He thundered through the water, and reached out and touched the wall. His head popped up a moment later.

“Damn,  _ acho,” _ Yose said, looking down at him with her stopwatch. “If this were a timed meet, you might have just set a new PR. You’re on fire today,” she said. His teammates thought that he had a real chance to make the Olympics. He’d set a ton of school records, and even a few New York state records at the championships. Percy wasn’t so sure, but he’d see how things went in college. Kamal liked to point out that he had probably the best chance of all of them, because being born in Nigeria gave him the right to compete there, and Nigeria wasn’t exactly a swimming powerhouse. 

“Thanks,” Percy replied, hauling himself to the pool deck. Yose was from Puerto Rico and had moved to New York when she was in middle school. She was determined to leave the island, and her family’s poverty, behind her. She didn’t get along with her parents, especially her mother, who disapproved of her relationship with Gianna. She was planning to go to CUNY, because it was close by, and even though she didn’t want to, she could live at home. She couldn’t afford to go anywhere far away, which Percy thought was a shame. 

As Percy climbed out of the pool, he noticed something in the corner of the room. A supply of pool dye. The Y used it to enhance the color of the pool water, but when you first poured it in, it showed up as a bright blue before dissapaiting. Percy began to get an idea. It was a really bad idea. Annabeth would hate it. But he could pull it off without tipping his hand too much, couldn’t he? 

“Hey, Josh,” Percy called. “I have an idea…”

They ended up having to enlist a couple of the others. Yose and Emma were happy to help. They had the hard part, really, convincing Darah to go up to the bleachers above the pool. When the girls left the room, Percy grabbed two bottles of dye, and dove into the pool. The tricky part was arranging the letters, but it was close enough. Percy just directed the flow of water a little, trying to keep the dye from dispersing too quickly. 

He broke the surface at the far end of the pool, and looked up. Josh was standing at the center of the pool deck, looking up at the bleachers, when Darah and the girls appeared. “Hey Darah!” he called toward the redhead. “Do you want to?” he gestured toward the water. 

She looked down, and Percy crossed his fingers. The water was beginning to disperse, despite his best efforts, so the letters PROM were beginning to fuzz around the edges. But they were apparently still readable, because Darah put her hands over her mouth in surprise, and the other girls began to giggle. Josh looked nervous, but Darah was already nodding her head. “Yes!” she called out. “I’ll go with you.”

“Heeeyyy!” Percy cheered, as the girls hugged Darah. Percy let go of his hold on the water, and the letters fuzzed out completely. Percy climbed onto the pool deck, and tossed the two empty bottles of dye into the poolside trash can, hoping that the Y wouldn’t notice them missing. 

“Told you she’d say yes,” Percy said. 

“Thanks for your help,” Josh said later as they headed to the locker room to shower off the chlorine and change back into street clothes. 

“No problem,” Percy replied. “Glad to help out.”

“You headed home after this?” Josh asked. “My parents are out, I was going to grab pizza.”

“You want to come over to my place? My mom will feed you. Pretty sure we’ve got something kosher you can have,” Percy offered. Josh had a fairly liberal interpretation of kosher. He wouldn’t eat meat with dairy, and of course, no pork, but he didn’t go all the way to the separate kitchens or two sets of dishes level of observance.

“You sure?” Josh asked.

“Sure. You know my mom, Josh. She never turns anyone away.”

“Okay," Josh said.

They finished showering and changing and headed back to Percy's place.

"Mom? I'm home! I brought Josh for dinner," Percy called when they entered the house.

"Hi Percy, oh, hi Josh," Paul said from the kitchen. "Your mom's rocking with Estelle, she's been fussy today, don't know why."

"Awww. Hope she's okay," Percy said. 

"Hi, Mr. Blofis," Josh said. "I hope I'm not intruding."

"No, of course not, Josh. You're welcome anytime."

"Wasn't Annabeth coming tonight?" Percy asked, realizing there was a distinct lack of a girlfriend around.

"She called earlier, left a message. Said she wasn't going to make it...something about a rumor about a pop quiz in Calc tomorrow," Paul explained. 

"Oh, gods, yeah, that would freak her. That's okay. I'll catch her tomorrow at her place."

"I still don't understand why you don't have a phone," Josh said. 

Percy shrugged. "We all managed before they were a thing. I don't understand why we can't manage now." Which was true. Beyond the threat of monsters, Percy really didn't see the need. Of course, he could Iris Message. Or at least, he was supposed to be able to. He wished he knew what that was all about. 

"We're having spaghetti tonight, Josh, so it should be okay for you. I can check on the sauce," 

"Sounds fine, Mr. Blofis. I can always eat it without the Parmesan."

"I'm going to go say hi to my mom," Percy said. "You can leave your bag by the door, and I'll be out in a second."

Percy went down the hall and quietly slipped into his Mom's room. She was in the rocker, with Estelle in her arms. "Hi, Mom," he whispered.

She smiled at him, and he kissed the top of her head, and pressed a kiss to his finger tips and brushed them softly on Estelle's fuzzy head. "She okay?"

His mom sighed a little, but nodded.

"I brought Josh home for dinner, that okay?" he asked.

She nodded and Estelle stirred a little. His mom glared at him.  _ Time to go,  _ he thought. He hooked a thumb over his shoulder, and his mom made a face like,  _ yes, dumbass _ , and he slipped out. 

Percy found Josh looking at the pictures hanging on the living room wall. It was one of Percy, Annabeth and Grover, taken the very first summer they had all met. “How long ago was this?” Josh asked. “And who’s the kid in the Rasta cap?”

“That’s Grover,” Percy said. “My oldest friend. And that was, I dunno, like...man. 7th grade? How many years ago was that?”

Josh did the math in his head. “So, like, almost six years ago, or something?” 

“Sounds about right,” Percy said. “Man, feels like longer than that.”

“That’s Annabeth, right?” Josh asked, pointing to her. 

“Yep,” Percy said, smiling. Remembering.

“And where’s Grover now?” Josh asked.

Percy felt his mood darken a little. “He’s...out West. He’s older, so he’s off at school.” It was an easy enough lie. And believable. “Annabeth and I are hoping to see him this summer.” That was a truth, and it helped cover the lie.

“It’s cool that you’ve had friends that long,” Josh said. “I lost touch with all my middle school friends when my parents decided to let me go to regular high school and not Jewish school.” He shrugged.

“That’s too bad,” Percy said, and meaning it. He had moved around so much, he’d lost dozens of friends. “When I was a kid, I changed schools almost every year. I didn’t really have any friends till Grover and Annabeth came along. I started going to the same summer camp as them, and, well, here we are.” 

“So you guys are serious, then?” Josh asked. 

“Very,” Percy said. 

“So how come we’ve never met her?” Josh asked. “It just seems like there’s a whole part of your life we know nothing about, Perce,” Josh said. 

Percy hesitated. “I...don’t know, Josh. I mean, it hasn’t been a conscious effort. With Annabeth at the Forester School across the town, she doesn’t get out much except in the evenings, and she’s usually here.” Truth was Percy and Annabeth didn’t like double dating. There was too much they might mention in casual conversation that wouldn’t make any sense. It was easier when they could just go out, and talk, and share with each other. They’d done double dates with Jason and Piper before they’d gone west, and then, they’d heard, broken up, which still didn’t make sense to Percy, but Annabeth seemed to take more philosophically. “You’ll meet her at prom, if nothing else.” Though that sounded lame, as far as Percy was concerned. Josh shrugged. Percy decided to try and change the subject. “So, Darah said yes, that’s cool.”

Praise be to the gods, it worked. Josh’s face lit up. “I know, right? I was worried she’d already have a date, or would say no.”

“Dude, c’mon,” Percy said. “Why would she say no?”

“Do you think…?” Josh trailed off. 

“Yes,” Percy said. “I think she likes you.”

“How do you know?”

“She laughs at your jokes, man. And your jokes are bad. Like, really bad. I only know one other guy who’s jokes are as bad as yours. And she likes them. Which means one of two things. Either she’s got a terrible sense of humor, or she likes you and not your jokes. I’m going with the second one.”

“Hey!” Josh said, looking simultaneously pleased and offended. 

Percy's mom appeared then, glaring at Percy but smiling at Josh. "Hi Josh," she said. "So nice to see you. Let's get some food into you. Percy, go set the table."

"Yes, Mom."


	10. 10: Annabeth

Annabeth let herself into Percy’s apartment. She’d had her own key for ages. Paul looked up from the table, where he was clearly grading essays. “Hi, Annabeth!” he said. “Good to see you!” 

“Hi Paul!” she said. Annabeth had missed last Thursday because of a pop quiz, and she and Percy had missed connections with Paul over the weekend, since he’d been helping with a school function. 

“Percy’s running late,” he added.

“That’s okay,” she said. Percy was sometimes late on Thursdays. Even though the swim season was over, Annabeth knew that he enjoyed hanging out with his teammates as much as he enjoyed the swimming. He also said that it helped keep him in shape, which was important since he hoped to compete collegiately at New Rome University. Annabeth suspected he might have some other goals in mind as well, but he hadn’t admitted them out loud, and Annabeth didn’t want to push him on it. It hadn’t stopped her from looking up the next Summer Olympics host city, though. 

“How are your classes?” Paul asked. He was starting to tidy up the table. He and Sally were going out tonight. Percy and Annabeth were going to watch Estelle while Paul took Sally to a faculty get together. 

Annabeth shook her head. “AP Calc is going to kill me, but only if AP Physics doesn’t get there first.” She began unpacking her books onto the table. A pink flyer fluttered out from between the pages, and landed on Paul’s stack of essays as he was cleaning up.

“What’s this?” he asked. “Oh, prom song voting?”

“Yeah, the student council drones were shoving them in everyone’s face today,” Annabeth said. “I really don’t understand why we need to vote on a song for our prom theme.” Annabeth blew a stray curl out of her face. 

“Traditions,” Paul said with a smile and a shrug. “So what are you voting on...oh, God, the same old stuff. Do they ever come up with anything new?”

Annabeth took the list from him, and scanned down the list _ Good Riddance _ , by Green Day,  _ I Don’t Want Miss a Thing _ by Aereosmith, that song from Dirty Dancing,  _ I Will Remember You _ … “Haven’t they made a new prom song any time in the last 10 years?” 

Paul laughed. “I’m not sure. Seems like we’ve been using the same old songs for a while now. Percy’s is one of these, I know. I can’t remember which one, though. They announced it on morning announcements the other day.”

“High school is just one big cliche, isn’t it?” Annabeth asked. The question may have sounded facetious, but Annabeth was genuinely curious. Maybe it was just her “outsider’s” perspective. The Forester School was her third high school, and of course, she’d missed years of formal schooling at camp as a year-rounder. But her experiences had been exactly what she’d been led to expect by popular media. The clique-y students, the relationship dramas. It was all true. Maybe not quite to the level that some shows portrayed it, but it was there. The way Forester was all up in a tizzy over prom and who was going with who, and did you get a date, and all that nonsense felt straight out of  _ Gossip Girl _ or  _ Secret Life of the American Teenager _ . 

Paul paused and thought about it. “I suppose it is,” he allowed. “I sometimes think of myself as a walking cliche. The absent-minded English teacher, secretly harboring fantasies of writing the great American novel, and pretending I’m Robin Williams from  _ Dead Poets’ Society. _ ” Annabeth had to laugh at that. “Always hoping that I’m somehow going to change some kid’s life with a dramatic reading of  _ A Midsummer Night’s Dream _ .” He seemed so earnest about it, that Annabeth had to smile. She was so glad that Paul Blofis had come into Percy and Sally’s life. They both deserved a man like him.

“I’m sure you do,” she reassured him. “I wish our English teachers were half as interesting as you are.” 

Paul laughed. “You’re overly generous,” he said. “You’ve never been in my class, you wouldn’t know.” 

“No, but I’ve been in my own. English literature was never my best subject,” Annabeth admitted. It was true. She tended to argue with her teachers on interpretations, challenging their pet theories about meaning and symbolism, rather than accepting them. And the less anyone said about the year her class had covered Greek mythology the better. 

“Your essays have always been fine,” Paul pointed out. Paul had offered to proofread both of their essays, a kindness that both she and Percy were endlessly grateful for, especially given how busy they knew he was with his own grading and their own demigod dyslexia. 

“It’s been better this year,” she admitted. “When you get to senior year, they trust you to think on your own a little bit more.”

“Ah,” Paul said, in a tone of much enlightenment. “I take it you’ve run into some of my colleagues who believe that they know  _ The Meaning _ , and tend to stone the non-believers.”

Annabeth chuckled. “That’s a good way of putting it.”

Paul shook his head sadly. “That can be the trouble with English. History, too, come to think of it. We become wedded to our own interpretations, and tend to reject those that challenge them as wrong, rather than being open minded. I think that comes from intellectual superiority. Some teachers are afraid to admit that someone, a student, might have a better idea, and reflexively reject it. I prefer to keep an open mind.”

_ That  _ much was certainly true, else Paul would have run screaming away from Sally and Percy years ago. Not for the first time, Annabeth wondered what it might have been like, in some weird, Percy-less universe, trying to start or maintain a relationship with a mortal boy. It was difficult to comprehend. 

Sally entered the kitchen just then, carrying Estelle. “Oh, hi, Annabeth!” she said. “Want to hold her?” she asked.

“Uh, yes, please,” Annabeth said, holding her arms out. “Come to Auntie, Estelle.” Annabeth was almost as in love with Estelle as she was with Percy. Before she’d met Estelle, Annabeth had never thought of herself as a baby person. But when Estelle had first looked up at her with her little baby eyes and wrapped her little tiny fingers around Annabeth’s pinky, Annabeth had nearly broken down. 

Annabeth carefully took Estelle from Sally, settling her into the crook of her arm. Estelle gurgled happily. “Hello there, you,” Annabeth said, brushing Estelles cheek with her finger. “You look happy today,” she said. 

“She’s been a pretty happy baby,” Sally said. “Percy was like that too. Very easy going. Thankfully.” 

“Except when she’s wet or hungry,” Paul pointed out. 

Annabeth caught the flicker in Estelle’s eyes as she looked in the direction of Paul’s voice. Intellectually, she knew that babies really didn’t have the ability to recognize voices until they were at least 6 months old, but Estelle had clearly reacted to Paul speaking. “Was that your daddy?” she cooed at Estelle. “Did you hear your daddy? Such a smart girl,” Annabeth said. 

“You’re cute with her,” Sally said. 

“I think she’s going to be a Daddy’s girl,” Annabeth said. “She seems to already know him.” 

Percy came through the door then. “Hey everybody.” He dropped his swim bag by the door, and came into the kitchen. He planted a kiss on Annabeth’s head. “Hey Wise Girl.” And then he leaned down to kiss Estelle. “And you look beautiful today,” he told her. “Sorry I’m late,” he said, looking up at Sally. “Something about a delay with the B train, and all the crosstown routes are messed up.”

“Oh?” Paul looked up. “We should get going then,” he told Sally. “You about ready?”

“Pizza’s on it’s way, should be here in 10 minutes or so,” Sally told Percy and Annabeth. “You’ve got bottles in the fridge, you know how to warm them up..?”

“Just go,” Percy said, hugging his mom and steering her toward the door. “We got this,” he said. 

“The diapers are…”

“Mom!” 

“We’ll be home around 10,” Sally said. “Plenty of time to get Annabeth home for curfew.”

“Mom!”

“Okay, okay, we’re going,” she said. A moment or two later, they were on their way. Annabeth amused herself while he was shoo-ing Sally and Paul out the door by making faces at Estelle, who gazed up at her with fascination. 

“Who’s a cutie?” Annabeth cooed at her. “Who loves their Auntie Annabeth?”

“That’s adorable, but I’m her brother, not her uncle,” Percy said, coming up behind her and leaning on the back of her chair. He stared down and made funny faces at Estelle. “Don’t you think you’ll confuse her?”

Annabeth shrugged. “She’s too young to know the difference. And we’ll probably be married by the time she’s old enough to really learn my name.” Annabeth froze, as her mind caught up with her words. “I...I mean…” her voice caught in her throat.

“Married, huh?” Percy said. His voice was low and soft, right by her ear. She shivered involuntarily, and her skin broke out into goosebumps. “I like the sound of that.” 

“Stop that,” she said abruptly. “Here, take your sister.” She stood up, and handed him Estelle. 

“What are you doing?” he asked, setting her up on his shoulder, and gently rubbing her back. 

“Getting out of these damn tights now that your parents are gone,” she said, shimming out of the offending garment. By far the worst aspect of the Forester School uniform was the prohibition on leggings. They were only allowed flesh toned nylons, or black or white tights. In cold weather, tights were a necessity, even though Annabeth hated them. Today had been one of those raw early spring New York days. They’d had good weather last week, and then it had turned again, with highs in the upper forties, and cold, damp weather. But the Jackson-Blofis apartment was toasty warm, and Annabeth wanted out of what she considered her personal torture-wear. 

She watched Percy appreciating her pulling the tights off her feet, knowing she’d probably flashed him at least once during the process. But years of questing together had left little illusion of privacy between the two of them, though it had taken on a new and exciting edge now that they were a couple. She grinned at him mischievously. “Enjoy the view?” 

“Always,” he replied. 

Just then, Estelle decided to burp audibly, and Percy groaned. He pulled his sister away, and sure enough, she’d spit up all over his t-shirt. “Okay, cool,” he told her. She gurgled in response, and he sighed. “I guess she’s just reminding me to behave,” he said, handing her back to Annabeth. “Make sure she’s all clean. I was going to take a shower anyway.”

By the time Percy got out of the shower, having washed both the baby spit and the chlorine off himself, the pizza had arrived, and Annabeth had settled Estelle into the baby bouncer and was eating pizza and studying chem. Percy got himself a soda from the fridge and went to the counter to get himself a paper plate. He’d put on track shorts and an old camp t-shirt, one with a couple of burn holes in it from an unfortunate mishap with the climbing wall. She was comfortable, which meant that he was probably roasting in the apartment. Sally ruled over the thermostat with an iron first in the fall, winter and spring. She allowed Percy and Paul some say in the air-conditioning in the summer. Annabeth suspected it was a product of the years that Sally had suffered under Gabe, and the lack of funds that had made it impossible for her to do anything else. Now that they were financially stable and had the means, Sally would not be cold in her own apartment again. 

Percy needed a haircut, Annabeth thought, looking at the hair matted down by the shower that still shook little drops onto his shoulders and back when he moved his head. The t-shirt was a few years old, and tight around the shoulders, showing off the finely toned muscles of Percy’s upper arms. He was a far cry from the scrawny kid that had somehow come crawling into camp with a minotaur horn in his hand. By any objective standard, Annabeth knew her boyfriend was  _ hot _ . Of course, that was even more true because she  _ wasn’t _ objective. Abruptly, she realized Percy was talking to her.

“What?” she asked.

He arched an eyebrow at her as he sat down at the table. “I asked you what first.”

“Huh?” she was confused.

“You were staring at me. I thought something was wrong,” he was smirking now. He’d caught her admiring him, and he knew it.  _ Damn him.  _ She felt a flush creep up her cheeks. 

“I...” she began. 

“It’s okay,” he said breezily. “I get it. You can’t take your eyes off me. I get that a lot.” He tried for it, but the swagger just wasn’t there. He really didn’t believe it. But Annabeth glared at him anyway.

“You’d better not,” she said. “Or I can find some creative ways to make sure those people don’t stare at anything ever again,” she growled. 

He chuckled. “Whatcha working on?” he asked.

“Chem,” she said. “Gas laws stoichiometry, this a non STP problem so I have to...”

“Stoichiometry,” he said, cutting her off. “Is that the one with the chocolate chip cookies?” he asked, and she looked at him bewildered. 

“When I took chemistry,” Percy had taken a standard level chem class in the fall semester as part of the science requirement at Goode. “The teacher explained it’s like baking a recipe, like, how many eggs do you need if you want to make a half batch, or 2 batches. That kind of thing. It stuck in my head because of the cookies thing.”

“Actually, yes,” she said, catching on. “That’s pretty much exactly what it’s like. A lot more complicated, but yes.”

Percy shrugged. “See, I know things.” He took an enormous bite of his pizza, almost too big for his mouth. Annabeth rolled her eyes.

“It’s a good thing I love you,” she said. “Because your table manners are horrific sometimes.”

He shrugged, unrepentantly. He was a teenaged boy after all, with a voracious appetite. And a swimmer in training. His caloric intake would have given most normal humans heart attacks.

Estelle started to fuss, looking over at them and waving her little chubby arms. She clearly wanted attention. “Okay, okay munchkin,” Percy said, somehow swallowing down his massive bite. “I’ll come get you.”

Annabeth had to admit to herself that her heart did a little pitter-pat tap dance watching Percy balance Estelle in his lap with one arm, eat with the other, and occasionally turn the pages of the text book he’d propped against the salt shaker. His brows furrowed in concentration as she watched his eyes track back and forth over the page, sometimes rescanning the same line multiple times, but with a firm determination, absently letting Estelle try and draw his finger into her mouth.

She could see them, _ in a few years _ ,  _ thank you very much _ , around their own kitchen table, with a different baby on his lap. Maybe one with blonde hair. Or maybe the dark hair, but grey eyes? She realized she was staring at him again and she shook her head. This was very distracting. 

She opened her mouth to say as much, but what came out was “Do you think about kids?” 

He looked up at her. “Kids, as in the abstract concept of children, or kids, as in, small versions of you and me?” 

She looked into those sea green eyes that were dancing with...something, Annabeth couldn’t tell what. “The second one,” she managed, unsuccessfully suppressing another sudden image of them strolling through the park with a baby carriage and another small child taking Percy’s hand and tugging him toward an ice cream vendor.

“Sometimes,” he admitted. “I...honestly don’t know how I feel about it,” he said. 

Annabeth looked at him in surprise. Percy was so good with Estelle, she’d assumed he would be interested in kids. Suddenly those tidy little fantasies...weren’t.

“It’s not that I don’t want kids,” he clarified, maybe seeing something in her face. “In fact, I would like nothing better. I just sometimes wonder if it would be...safe.”

_ Oh _ . 

“I mean, I know people do have kids, in New Rome, and sometimes they do manage to do it outside of there. But, holy Zeus, Annabeth, we’ve got targets on our backs as big as Mount Olympus. We’re as monster bait as we can get. We’ve managed, though, somehow. But would our children be targets as well. Or what if something came after you while you were eight months pregnant. I saw what Mom was like then, she could barely move. What if…” he swallowed hard. “I don’t know that I could take that.”

She reached across the table, and he took her hand in his. “Hey,” she told him, “we’ll figure it out. You said yourself other demigods manage it, or there wouldn’t be all those Roman legacies.”

“But how come there aren’t many Greek ones? Why doesn’t it seem to work for us?” he asked.

“It wasn’t always like this,” Annabeth pointed out. “Lots of Greek demigods lived out to ripe old ages in the past. Maybe now that the Titan War and the Gaea War is over, things will go back to that way. Look at some of my siblings. How old was George Washington? What about Joshua Chamberlain, he was like, 99 when he died or something. It hasn’t always been this way, and maybe it won’t stay this way.”

“I guess," Percy sighed. "Like I said. It's not that I don't want kids. I do. Sometimes, when I look at Estelle, I see a little girl with grey eyes, and I think, that's what I want so badly. But then the worry creeps in."

This was an interesting role reversal for Annabeth. Usually she was the one pumping the breaks on Percy's imagination. It was... enlightening to say the least. Was this how he always felt when she pricked his thought balloons? She was always the worrying one. "Hey." She squeezed his hand tightly. "It's going to be okay. We'll figure it out. We have time, Percy. I have faith. We didn't make it this far to not succeed."

Percy took a breath, and squeezed her hand. “You’re right. I just...sometimes I worry we’ll never get to have a normal life.” He let go and grabbed another slice of pizza. Then he stopped, and his eyebrows drew down. He sniffed the air, and then looked down sharply at Estelle. He wrinkled his nose. “Well, that’s an appetite killer,” he said. He put down the pizza, and hefted his sister. “C’mon munchkin. Let’s go get you a clean diaper.”

Later, after they had finished the pizza, and put Estelle down (Percy had been especially cute reading Estelle a bedtime story, Annabeth thought. He really would be a great dad someday.), they moved the schoolwork out to the living room couch. Percy was still slogging his way through his History textbook, and Annabeth was making notes on her physics homework. Percy lay with his head in her lap, his book propped on his chest. Annabeth used the arm of the couch to support her notebook, and casually toyed with Percy’s hair with her free hand. 

“You need a haircut,” she observed absently. “You’re getting shaggy.”

“Mm,” Percy muttered, ignoring her as he tried to concentrate. 

“I’m thinking of giving up architecture for sports management,” she said. 

“Mm.” 

“I want you to strip off my clothes and make mad, passionate love to me.”

“Mmm...what?” He looked up at her, her words finally penetrating. 

She laughed. “Got your attention with that one, did I?” 

“Well, I mean,” he put aside his textbook. “We are alone, and my parents aren’t expected home for a while yet.” 

“We are not alone,” she pointed out. “Estelle is in the next room.”

“She doesn’t count,” Percy said. “She’s not likely to walk in on us.” He let his hand fall to the floor, and found her ankle. He began to trace light circles on her ankle and lower calf. 

“We’re supposed to be studying,” she pointed out, though she made no other move to stop him, as goosebumps broke out on her skin and she shivered.

“Mm?” He grabbed her leg to lever himself upward towards her face. She leaned down and kissed him. 

It wasn’t long before they were in a full on makeout session. They managed to maneuver around so that Annabeth was astride his lap. Percy had tugged her uniform shirt free of her skirt and hard worked the bottom few buttons free, so he could get his hands up her back, where they were occasionally toying with her bra straps. Annabeth had done him one better by getting his t-shirt all the way off him, and was enjoying the feel of his shoulder muscles under her fingers. 

“You know,” Percy breathed between kisses. “I do have a bed just down the hall.” He kissed her again. “Might be more comfortable.”

“Mmm.” Annabeth agreed. “Do you have a…” Annabeth had been about to say,  _ condom _ , when the door clicked, and Paul and Sally’s laughter could be heard from the entryway. Percy and Annabeth’s heads snapped around to the clock. 

“ _ Shit _ ,” Percy hissed. “ _ When did it get so late _ ?” It was after 10. How long had they been making out? Or how long had they actually managed to study before they’d started making out?

Annabeth jumped off his lap and frantically stuffed her shirt back into her skirt, as Percy pulled his t-shirt back on.  _ “Inside out _ ,” she whispered at him frantically. 

By the time Sally and Paul came into view, they were at least put together, and sitting on the couch with their schoolwork, Percy’s textbook strategically placed on his lap. She suspected that their rapid breathing and red faces were probably a give away that they  _ hadn’t  _ actually been studying when the door had opened. But they weren’t in a compromising position. 

“Hey kids,” Sally said. “Everything go okay?”

“Yeah, it was fine,” Percy said. His voice was calm, much calmer than she thought he could have managed under the circumstances. “Estelle went down fine. No trouble. And we got our homework done. Or at least mostly done.” He stood up and stretched. “I’ll go put some long pants on, and get ready to take Annabeth home.”

“Just be careful,” Sally said. She turned her attention to Annabeth. “You got some work done?” 

“Yes,” she said. She could feel the heat in her face betraying her, and she noticed that Sally’s eyes were dancing with amusement. “I should...go put my tights back on for the trip home.” Annabeth slunk off toward the bathroom.

“Well,” Percy said a few minutes later as they walked to the elevator. “That was close. I had no idea it had gotten so late.”

“No kidding, Seaweed Brain,” Annabeth said. “Another five more minutes, and we’d have been stark naked and screwing in your bed.”

Percy grinned. “Well, there’s an image that’s not going to go away anytime soon.” She elbowed him in the guts. “Ow.”

“Bad enough they caught us making out,” she said. “Getting caught having sex...gods, that would have been…” she wasn’t sure there was a word that would convey how mortifying the thought was.

“But we didn’t,” he said. “So, relax. Breathe, Annabeth,” Percy told her as they got on the elevator. “I mean, yeah, they probably know we were making out, but is that really that big a deal? Aren’t we supposed to do that? Like, once in a while, anyway?” 

Annabeth took a breath and tried to calm her jangled nerves. “You’re right,” she said. “It’s not as if our relationship is a secret.” 

“No, it’s fine,” Percy assured her. “We’re fine.” He squeezed her hand. “Thanks for telling me my shirt was on inside out, though. That’s kind of funny when you think about it.”

Annabeth giggled a little. “Yeah, I guess it is.” 

They laughed and chatted until Percy left her at her dorm, with a kiss that was seriously making her regret not distracting him much sooner this evening. Kirsten was at her desk when she got to the room. She looked Annabeth up and down.

“Have a good time this evening?” she asked, arching an eyebrow and smirking.

Annabeth looked at her in confusion. “Um. yeah…?” 

“The bottom three buttons on your shirt are buttoned wrong.”

Annabeth looked down. “Oh, Styx…” She thought back to the amused look Sally had given her as they’d left. “Oh ffffffffffff...” she rarely used the word in English, but she came close now. 

“I’ll say,” Kirsten said, waggling her eyebrows suggestively.

“We did  _ not _ ,” Annabeth said with heat. 

The look on Kirsten’s face showed just how convincing that argument was.

  
_ “Di immortales,” _ Annabeth muttered under her breath, and tossed her book bag onto the floor by the desk. 


	11. 11. Percy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Who else is psyched for the Disney+ announcement from Uncle Rick? So excited!

The weeks dragged on. Annabeth lost herself in work. She had AP tests coming up at the beginning of May, and she was very busy preparing for them. Percy would come over after school, and they would get food at Panera or Starbucks, and Percy would have to remind her to eat. Percy struggled with his physics classes but managed to hold his C. He tried not to think about the mysterious silence from the west coast. It was easier during the school week when it felt like he was swamped with work. 

He thought more about the conversation he’d had with Paul the night Annabeth had been out shopping with his mom and the story she’d told him of her visit with Athena. He’d made a point to make a small offering brazier on the fire escape outside his window the next day, and he’d burned nearly a whole batch of his mom’s blue chocolate chip cookies, saying “Lady Athena, accept my offering, and my thanks, for protecting my mom, and for Annabeth.” The sweet smell of the cookies had swirled up, but there had been no other sign that his offering had been welcome. He supposed benign neglect was about the best he could hope for. 

Prom was rapidly approaching, so Percy and Josh decided to go together to rent their tuxes. They went after school on a Thursday. Annabeth had told him to get a blue vest and bow tie with his tux, which pleased him. Josh had been told to get pale pink, which had not entirely thrilled him. Once they finished at the tux place, with Percy reserving his tux for two weekends in a row, they left the store to walk to the florists, where Percy’s mom had given them explicit instructions on what and how to order. She’d written it down, which Percy felt relieved about, because he doubted he would have remembered otherwise. 

As they walked toward the florist, bitching about their classes and trash talking each other’s baseball team (Josh was a Yankees fan; Percy prefered the Mets), they passed a small jewelry shop. Percy slowed down to look at the cases. 

“You going to buy your girlfriend something?” Josh asked.

Percy shrugged. “Probably not today, but I’d like to, at some point,” he admitted. Just as well Josh didn't know exactly what Percy had on his mind. Percy’s eyes lingered over the rings. He sometimes did this, but he never saw anything that was really Annabeth.

Percy suddenly became aware of the smell of salt air and felt a fresh ocean breeze.  _ Oh, gods.  _

“Hello, Percy.” He felt a hand on his shoulder.

“Hey, Dad,” Percy said, turning. His dad was wearing his usual Tommy Bahama shirt and cargo shorts. His dad pulled him in for a hug. Percy pulled away. “Josh, this is, um. My dad. My biological dad.” Josh knew that Paul was Percy’s step-dad, few people at Goode didn’t. 

“Oh, it’s nice to meet you..um, Mr. Jackson.” Josh said, offering the god of the sea his hand. Poseidon grinned a little bemusedly as he shook with Josh. 

“Where are you boys off to?” his Dad asked.

“We’re on our way to order flowers for our dates to the prom,” Percy explained, in a tone that was meant to convey,  _ so please, not now,  _ as respectfully as possible. 

“Josh, why don’t you go on ahead. Percy and I won’t be but a moment or two.”

“Okay.”

“I’ll meet you there,” Percy said. “Don’t bother trying to order without me, I’ve still got the instructions.”

“Okay, see ya in a bit,” Josh said and he headed off down the street.

“It’s nice to see you have mortal friends,” Poseidon said. 

“Josh was on swim team with me in the fall,” Percy said. 

“I know. I watched some of your meets. You did well.” 

“You...how?”

“I had Hephaestus hook me up with a video feed. He was happy to help. He likes the work your brother Tyson is doing for him. I was proud of you.” 

Percy felt his cheeks get warm. “Thanks, Dad.” It meant more to him that he would admit. 

“I had a visit from Athena the other day,” he said. “Now, I know we’ve had our disagreements in the past, and I know that’s sometimes been a sore spot for you. But, well, you and Annabeth. You’ve helped us grow more...comfortable with each other. It’s hard to hold grudges when children that you love dearly love each other.” 

Percy could only stammer. “Oh.”

“Besides, I seem to recall someone declaring our rivalry over,” Poseidon arched an eyebrow at him. “In the well of my spring, no less.”

“Um. Yeah.” Percy said. 

“In any case,” Poseidon continued. “She came to see me and told me what she’d done for your mother. I didn’t know she was going to do that, and I thanked her. I understand that she also appreciated the thanks that you sent along. Athena seemed to like your mother’s cookies as much as Annabeth does. Though I had a hard time explaining the blue thing.” 

“Um.” Percy had been reduced to monosyllables.

Poseidon laughed. “Relax, Percy, it’s a good thing. Anyway, she also said there was a good chance you were thinking about marrying Annabeth.”

Percy cleared his throat, “Well, yes. That much is true.”

Poseidon looked thoughtful. “You know, Percy, it’s been a very long time since I’ve had a demigod child, and even longer since I had one get old enough to be married. One of the side effects of the oath that my brothers and I took. Now, I don’t know when mortals typically get married these days,” he said.

“Older than me,” Percy said under his breath. 

“But let me just say that when you and Annabeth decide to get married, you have my blessing. And Athena’s for what it’s worth. We had a good laugh speculating over what our grandchildren might be like.” 

Percy wasn’t sure how to react to that, honestly. He and Annabeth weren’t even engaged yet, and their parents were already talking about grandchildren. But he had his father's blessing. And Athena's. That made this awkward visit worth suffering through for sure 

“Have you thought about asking her to marry you? I seem to recall something about apples.”

“Apples?” 

“In Greece, when a young man was interested in a young lady, he would throw her an apple. If she caught it, she accepted his proposal,” Poseidon said. 

“I’ll have to remember that,” Percy said.

“And then there’s the question of a ring,” his dad continued. “Have you seen anything you like?”

Percy shook his head. “Nothing that really fits her. I’m not at all sure what I’m looking for.” 

“If I could offer a suggestion, I don’t think you’re going to find anything here. Your relationship deserves something unique and meaningful to the two of you.” Percy nodded. “I would say you could ask your brother for help, but he's out west with that harpy friend of his."

"Yeah, do you know why we can't seem to reach anyone?" Percy asked.

Poseidon shook his head. "No. Poor Hermes has been working overtime hand delivering all our messages. But even if I did, it's not your concern. It's Apollo's task, and I cannot interfere. My brother has been quite clear on that." There was a distant rumble of thunder, but it almost sounded satisfied with itself, as if Poseidon had given a correct answer.

"Oh."

"But we have some excellent craftsmen of our own. Perhaps you could drop by for a visit. Amphitrite would love to see you again."

His godly stepmom had warmed up to him considerably since the end of the Titan War. She'd admitted she had had a lot on her mind when they'd first met. She’d forgiven him for beating up her dad that one time in San Francisco, too. She'd also met Annabeth once, just at the end of the summer before Hera had taken him, on the beach at camp. They'd seemed to hit it off. 

"Yeah," Percy said. "Maybe I will."

"Good...I'll look forward to that. For now, I think you have flowers to order." Poseidon winked at him. "Go on. I'll see you soon."

And with a rush of sea air, he was gone.

When Percy caught up with Josh he was hanging around the sidewalk outside the florist. "Where's your dad?" He asked.

"He had to go. He's pretty busy. I don't...see him too often. We're not super close."

"Funny us just running into him like that," Josh said.

"Oh, he was looking for me. He must have talked to my mom and knew where we'd be this afternoon," Percy lied. 

"If you carried a phone…" Josh pointed out, a running gag between them.

"Dude, have you met my ADHD...I couldn't function with a phone. I'd never be able to put it down."

“Whatever, man.”


	12. 12: Annabeth

“I ran into Dad today,” Percy said over dinner later. Annabeth had come over to Percy’s apartment for dinner and to work on some studying. Paul was out, so it was just the three of them, and Estelle, who was snoozing in her infant swing on the other side of the kitchen where they could all keep an eye on her. 

“Oh?” Annabeth and Sally said at the same time, looking up at him. 

“Yeah, he stopped me as Josh and I were headed out to get flowers for prom. That was awkward. I think he was a bit amused to be called ‘Mr. Jackson’,” Percy chuckled.

Annabeth laughed out loud. “That I would have paid good drachmas to see.” Sally giggled in agreement. 

“So what did he want?” Sally asked. “If he stops by to see you, it’s usually for a reason.”

“Oh, he wanted to chat about prom, of all things. And your mom,” he told Annabeth.

“What did he say about Mom?” Annabeth asked, curiously.

“He actually said that they’ve been learning to get along better lately. She visited him at his palace and told him about her visit with you and Mom. He said he thanked her for her kindness. And that she appreciated the batch of cookies I sacrificed for her. He said they figured that it was hard to carry grudges if two children they loved, loved each other.”

“You’re kidding me,” Annabeth said. “He said that? About Mom?” 

“Yeah. Incredible, right? He said he appreciated my attempt to end the rivalry back in Athens at his spring.”

Annabeth felt her cheeks redden at the memory of that breathtaking kiss underground. “Seriously? Several thousand years of grudges and animosity ending just because of us?”

“Don’t question it,” Sally advised. “Just roll with it.” 

“Someday, when Apollo gets his powers back, he’ll write an epic love ballad about it,” Percy suggested, with a twinkle in his eye.

“ _ Di immortales _ , please no,” Annabeth said. “That would be…”

“Kinda amazing?” Percy suggested. Sally laughed. 

“I was going to go with ‘horrifically embarrassing’. Can you imagine if he decided to perform it at camp, or something? We’d never live it down.” She shivered at the thought. “Speaking of Apollo, did he say…?”

Percy shook his head. “Only that he had tasks and Zeus had forbidden interference. And the communications problems are part of it.” Percy shrugged. “It’s just not our problem this time. Feels weird, doesn’t it? I wonder if this is how, like the Stoll brothers felt or anyone else, when we were off in the Sea of Monsters, or in the Labyrinth.” 

Annabeth cocked an eyebrow. “You know, I never thought of it that way,” she said. “I guess it must have been.”

“Feels weird, though, not to have the world riding on your shoulders, and your biggest concern is your AP testing that starts in two weeks.” 

“After all we’ve been through, it’s almost a relief, I guess. But yeah. Is this what the rest of lives are going to be like? On the sidelines while others do the work? Wondering if the world is coming to an end on someone else's watch and we can’t do anything about it?” She paused. “I’m not sure I like that.”

“Well, of course you don’t,” Percy said. “You’re a control freak.”

“I am not…” she stared, and then stopped. Because she knew he was right. Percy just arched an eyebrow at her. “And you’re not?” she asked.

“Not quite the same way you are, but yeah, it bugs me. I’ve been saving the world since I was 12. What do you mean someone is more important than me?” he asked rhetorically. “That’s my job, my responsibility.”

“It’s not just that you miss the attention?” she teased him.

“Nah,” he answered. “I mean, maybe some small part of me misses being ‘the most important demigod’, but really, this is what I wanted, right? And you? To just be left alone. And besides, we’re past our questing prime, right?”

“Right,” she answered. 

“I mean, how many college age kids are at camp?” he pointed out. “Do they age out? Or is it just that there are that few survivors?”

“True,” she said. “And we’ve certainly beaten the survival odds.”

“Right. So as much as it might bug us to let go, it’s someone else’s turn. We don’t need to be in the middle of things anymore. We’ve earned our happy ending.” 

“You’ve done enough as far as I’m concerned. I would like it if you stayed out of danger for a while,” Sally said, rejoining the conversation. 

Annabeth reflected on that. Percy could be perceptive when he tried. And he was right. 

“Speaking of which, how’s your cousin doing?” he asked. “Have you heard from him lately?”

“Not since we met up a couple months ago,” she said. “We really do need to get up there to see him. Maybe after AP tests. He’s got to deal with something to do with Sea Gods.”

“Maybe I should go see Dad, and get some advice before we go,” he offered. “Dad did ask me when I was going to drop by the palace again.” 

“Oh?” Sally asked. “That was nice of him. When do you think you might go?” 

“Well, I figure you’re going to be studying all weekend,” he looked at Annabeth as he answered. He turned back to his mom. “I thought I might try and pop down on Saturday. I can drive out to Rockaway Park or something and try and find someone to give me a ride down.”

“Just be careful,” Sally said. “No monsters.”

“Yes, Mom.”

Percy went with her when it was time to go. Partly for the extra protection, partly for the company. And partly to get a decent good night kiss when they arrived back at the door.

They were riding the subway downtown, when she felt Percy’s hand go rigid in hers. “What?”

“Turn slowly, look down the car, near the back,” he whispered in her ear.

Annabeth turned and looked. About three quarters the way down the car, there were a pair of empousai. They had run into them one other time since the end of the war, and one of the side benefits, if you could call it that, of their trip to Tartarus was that their disguises didn’t seem to work on Percy anymore. Unlike the first time he’d met them, back the summer before freshman year, their magic did not fool him. They didn’t appear to have noticed them, or at least they weren’t looking in their direction.

“Well, at least it’s not Kellie,” she whispered back. “What do you want to do about it?”

“They’re following someone,” he said. “That’s why they haven’t seen us yet. Do you think it’s another demigod?” 

Annabeth looked around the subway car. About three rows up from the empousai was a mother with a child, about 10 or 11 years old, she judged. The both seemed blissfully unaware of the danger that lurked nearby. "Maybe. How do you want to play this?"

"We have three stops till ours," Percy said. "Let's see if they get off before us."

"What if they don't?" Annabeth asked 

"We'll cross that bridge when it comes," Percy replied. But his hand had left hers and was in his pocket. 

They didn’t have to. When the next stop was announced, the mother and the child, a girl, they could see now, rose from their seats. The empousai moved to follow them. When they got off the subway, Percy pulled Annabeth along and they followed.

“What do you want to do?” Annabeth hissed.

“Take them somewhere out of sight,” Percy said back. “The Mist has always delighted in making me look like the bad guy. The last thing I need is to get expelled for assaulting two girls a month before graduation.

“Good point,” Annabeth said. Annabeth put her hand in the outside pocket of her messenger bag and drew out her dagger. She still missed the one she'd lost in Tartarus, and the one that Sadie's wand had turned into had been lost when she'd killed the staff of Serapis. But she'd found another in the camp armory. It wasn't exactly the same, and she was still getting used to the balance, but it was serviceable.

The monsters followed the mother and the girl up out of the subway, exiting into a relatively quiet area of the city. The empousai must have had the same thoughts as Percy, because they seemed to be biding their time. They were still oblivious to their presence. 

"Let's get closer," Percy suggested. "Up there," he pointed to the opening of a dark side street. "No traffic cams."

Annabeth nodded and they picked up their pace to close with the monsters. They got within about 25 yards when one of empousai suddenly froze and began sniffing the air. 

"Shit," Percy breathed. Annabeth grabbed his arm. 

"Quick, my hat."

Annabeth marveled at how deep their connection was that Percy instantly understood. He whipped her Yankees hat out of her bag and she shoved it on her head. 

"Hey, ugly!" Percy called. The empousai turned. 

"Who are you?" The one who had caught their scent asked in a hissing voice. "Your scent is strong."

"You mean Kellie hasn't told you all about me? I'm heartbroken."

"Perseus Jackson," they hissed. "You will make a much more satisfying meal than the young one."

"I suppose, if you can catch me." Percy had been slowly backing back down the street they had come down. The empousai began to follow him. Annabeth positioned herself where they would pass within arms length of her. 

"Foolish to travel alone, demigod," one of them said.  _ A few more yards. Keep them talking,  _ she thought.

"I just didn't want you to make a meal out of that poor kid before she even finds out who her parent is," he said, still backing up. But he had Riptide out now, ready to reverse and come to her aid if this went wrong. "And besides, you're right."

"What?"

"It's dangerous to travel alone. That's why I don't."

"What?" The empousai realized they were in danger, but it was already too late. Annabeth grabbed one around the neck and slit its throat cleanly with the dagger and it began to dissolve almost instantly, and she spun and put her dagger straight into the other's back. They had been too close together, it was too easy to get both. They had gotten sloppy following the child and then assuming Percy had been alone. 

By the time Percy reached her position, it was all over. Annabeth took her hat off, breathing hard. "Aww, damnit," she looked at herself. She was covered in monster dust. "I was hoping to get one more day out of this skirt," she said. "Now I'm going to have to stay up and do laundry."

"Sorry, babe," Percy said, giving her a hug and kissing her cheek. "That was brilliant, by the way."

"Yeah, well, thanks for picking up on my plan," she said. "Should we go after that half-blood?" She asked.

Percy shook his head. "She should be safe for now. I'll get a message down to camp. Someone should come talk to her, explain things. I don't really want to be the one to do that. Besides," he glanced at his watch. "We need to haul ass if you're not going to miss curfew."

Annabeth cursed in Greek. “You're right. Let's go."

They made it back to her dorm just before the deadline, and Percy left her with what he called his "patented kiss to remember me by" on the steps of the dorm, which occasioned a wolf whistle or two from the other girls getting back to the dorm at the last second. 

"Be careful without me, Seaweed Brain," she said. The incident had made her nervous. She was going to have nightmares tonight, she knew already. Percy probably would too. 

"Always," he said grimly, glancing around again. He was rattled too, she could tell from the way his eyes quartered the area, head swiveling. It had been a while since they'd run into a monster in the city, and it was an ominous sign, with all the nonsense about the Emperors reborn going on. Annabeth wished that someone from out west would actually get back to her and let her know what was going on. They hadn't heard from Leo, or Grover or Piper, or anyone in so long.

"Love you, Wise Girl," he said. And then he turned down the stairs and headed for the subway entrance, his hand in his pocket, and she knew it was firmly wrapped around Riptide.


	13. 13: Percy

Percy did not get as early a start on Saturday as he’d hoped. Like he’d feared, the incident with the empousai had triggered a nightmare on Thursday night. It had been bad, but not as bad as it could have been. On a scale of “showing up to school in his underwear” to “Annabeth dying in Tartarus”, it had been about a 5, but it had been enough to keep him up for several hours. He’d managed to get through school on Friday despite it. He’d met up with Annabeth on Friday evening for dinner, and found she was in a similar state. They’d fallen asleep together on Percy’s couch right after dinner until his mom had woken them both up about 10:30, and Paul had driven Annabeth back to the dorms. Percy had crashed into his bed and slept through his alarm on Saturday morning. 

He still had time to do what he planned to do today. The beach was welcomingly empty when Percy parked the car. Frankly, Percy was surprised Paul had even let him borrow it again after the incident with Apollo. The insurance bill from the crash would have been a disaster, if there hadn't been a pile of silver drachmas that appeared on the kitchen table a few mornings later. Percy and Annabeth had suspected Artemis thanking him for helping her brother, but they weren't 100% certain. Someone on Olympus had paid the expenses, though, and there had been some kind of Mist related obfuscation with the DMV that had kept the accident from being reported on Percy's license. Which meant that he hadn't gotten any points on his junior operator's license. He'd burned an offering to Olympus in general for that one. 

In any case, the car had been fixed. Paul had finally gotten the Pegasus dents out of the hood as well. 

Percy paid the all day rate at the parking station and walked down to the water's edge. He could not have picked a better day for this. It was drizzling heavily and there was no one around to watch as he walked out into the water. He felt the jolt of energy he always got from the sea, and he pushed on, letting the sea close around him. He swam out a little further and the fish began to appear. "Sea Lord!" They called out, schooling around him. Finally, a hippocampus emerged from the depths. 

_ Take me to Father's palace, please?  _ he thought at the hippocampus, and it nodded its head in assent. Percy grabbed on and they zipped through the water. Percy passed the time by greeting the sea creatures as they went by, and they called out acknowledgements in return. Percy had decided he would study marine science at New Rome. Annabeth told him it wasn't fair, but he'd argued that given his issues with learning, he needed all the advantages he could get. 

Finally, the lights of the palace came into view. The hippocampus took him right down to the entrance. "Thanks," Percy told him, and walked up to the palace doors. Triton was there. Percy tried to suppress his grimace. He and Triton weren't exactly friends. 

"Hello, Perseus."

"Hey, Triton," Percy said. "Is Dad around?"

"Not presently, but he might put in an appearance when he hears you showed up," Triton sniffed. 

“I don’t want to bother him,” Percy said. “I just came to see Amphitrite, I think. Dad said she’d like to see me.” 

Triton seemed a bit taken aback by this, and he paused a moment before saying. “And your mortal family? Are they well?”

Percy could see an olive branch when it was offered. "My mother is well, as is my half-sister and stepfather, thank you."

"And the daughter of Athena?"

"Annabeth is great," he said. "Actually, that's…"

"What you've come about." Amphitrite appeared in the palace entryway. "Hello, Percy."

"Hello," he replied. He was never quite certain of his address for her. He didn't see her enough to call her 'mom' for example, but they were friendly enough that "Lady Amphitrite" seemed too formal. 

"I understand from your father that you need help with something important," she said. "Why don't you come with me?"

"See you around," Percy waved at Triton who nodded formally. 

Percy followed Amphitrite into the palace. "Your father is quite taken with your young lady," she said.

"He...he is?" Percy was a little surprised at this. 

"Oh yes. He is impressed with how well she has kept you alive. And she is a conscientious young woman. Your father has often remarked that he doesn't think there has ever been another child of Athena who has burned so many offerings to Poseidon." Percy chuckled. "And it was certainly a pleasure to have Athena by for a visit. I can't remember that happening, ever."

"Yeah, Dad mentioned that when I saw him." Percy followed Amphitrite, who led him down a corridor he hadn't been in before. They weren't headed for the big throne room. 

"I understand that you are planning to marry her," Amphitrite continued.

"Yes, if she'll have me. Though maybe not right away...for mortals...well, we're still very young."

"Indeed?" she said. "I thought you would be right about marriage age."

"When Olympus was still in Greece, yes," he explained. "Times have changed."

"You mortals have such short lives. Why waste them when you want to be with someone?"

Percy almost tripped, though that really wasn't possible here under water. "That is...very profound, my Lady."

Amphitrite gave him a dazzling smile and led him into a small room. "This is my private sitting room. So much more comfortable than that cavernous hall."

Amphitrite gestured to chairs made of giant clamshells, and Percy settled himself into a plain looking one.

Amphitrite took the more ornate one, and she waved a hand. A sea turtle floated into the room with a jewel covered box on it's back. "Your father says you are looking for something special.” 

“Yes,” he admitted. “I don’t know exactly what I’m looking for, only that I haven’t found it yet.”

Amphitrite gave a light laugh. “Your Daughter of Athena must be rubbing off on you, Perseus,” she said. “You are becoming profound as you age.” 

Percy blushed. “Thanks,”  _ I think. _

Amphitrite laughed at his discomfort, and opened the box she took from the sea turtle. She turned it toward Percy. “Perhaps something from in here will suit,” she said. “These are things that my sisters and I have made. We use things we find in the ocean to make our crafts.”

Percy leaned forward in his seat and looked into the box. Inside was a collection of intricately crafted rings. It was an interesting collection. Seashells predominated as a medium, but there were jewels aplenty. Percy imagined the bounty the seabed provided, thousands of years of shipwrecks. 

He carefully fingered through the items. They were all beautiful, of course, but he wanted something specifically Annabeth. And then he saw it. 

The band had been made from a single sea shell, and it had been polished smooth and round. How it had been shaped, he didn't know. It looked as if it was one piece with no seam. The stone was a diamond, large, but not ostentatiously so. Surrounding it was a circle of alternating tiny pearls and blue sapphires. 

Percy picked it up, holding it up to the light. "This is amazing."

Amphitrite beamed at him. "You like it? That is one I made."

"How did you get the shell…?"

"It's a cross section of snail shell, smoothed and polished. And I can adjust it, if the need arises."

That made Percy's eyes cross. "How…"

Amphitrite laughed. "Oh Perseus, I am a goddess, after all."

Percy felt his cheeks flush. "Right."

"The pearls came from the sea, of course. But the stones came from a Spanish shipwreck off the coast of the Bahamas, near the entrance to the Sea of Monsters."

"Oh, yeah?" 

Amphitrite nodded. "The captain or navigator must have been a demigod, to be so close to the entrance. I don’t know what the mortal crew must have seen before they went down, but it probably wasn’t pleasant.” She made a face. “I believe these jewels were meant to be used in a new royal crown for the queen of Spain.” 

Percy made a noise that was polite interest, but his imagination was captured by the ring. He could picture it there, on Annabeth’s hand. In his heart, he knew this was the ring he wanted her to wear. But would she like it…?

“Of course she will like it,” Amphitrite said, reading his thoughts. “It comes from you, and from your heart. Take it with you,” she said firmly. “I can see it is the one you want.”

“I…” Percy stuttered. “I...thank you, Lady Amphitrite,” he managed finally. 

Amphitrite smiled and waved it away. “Jewelry is of little value until it is worn, and making these trinkets is but a pastime for my sisters and I. If it will be of importance to you, then you may have it, with my blessing, and your father’s.” She rose as if that settled the matter. “Now come, you’ve had a long journey, and I have cookies for you.”


	14. 14. Annabeth

The dorm room phone rang, starling Annabeth. She had been sitting at her desk when it rang, staring out the dorm window, studying the small sliver of the Williamsburg Bridge she could see from her room window. It was funny how things worked like that. She was only a few blocks from where she had nearly died two years ago. 

Kirsten had ignored the phone, because it was always for Annabeth. The only person who called it was the front desk security guard, who told them that there were visitors. And the only one who ever visited was Percy.

“Hello?” she answered. 

“Annabeth Chase, please.”

“Speaking.” 

“You have a visitor. Can you come down to the front desk?”

“Yep, I’ll be right there.” She wondered what Percy was doing here, she thought he said he was having dinner with his swim team tonight. She slipped on her shoes, and grabbed a hoodie and headed down the stairs. 

But it wasn’t Percy who was waiting in the lobby. A blur of red hair tackled her. 

“Rachel!” Annabeth exclaimed, laughing. “What are you doing here?”

“Long weekend break,” Rachel Elizabeth Dare said. She was dressed in a flowing blouse under a zip up hoodie, with a pair of her customized jeans. “I couldn’t come to the city without seeing you. And Percy, of course.”

“Of course! I would have killed you otherwise!” Annabeth said. 

“My car’s outside, let’s go,” Rachel hooked her thumb over her shoulder. 

“Awesome!” Annabeth followed her out into the seasonably warm spring air. “How are things going?” she asked.

Rachel seemed to deflate a little. She shook her head. “Clarion Academy is about the next worst thing to tortue I can think of,” she said. “Though the area is nice. When I get away, there are some great places to paint. But it’s far worse than this place. I wish I hadn’t pitched such a fit about coming back here freshman year. We could have been classmates.” 

“I didn’t know you were at Forester,” Annabeth said. 

“Just middle school, I was a day student. I convinced Daddy I wanted a more diverse high school experience, and he sent me to Goode. You know how that turned out, and Daddy got it into his head I wasn’t ladylike enough. You know the rest.” Annabeth nodded. 

“And what about…?” Annabeth trailed off when she realized Rachel was leading her toward a candy-apple red convertible sports car. “Is that yours?” she asked, incredulous.

“18th birthday present,” Rachel answered with a grin. “There are some advantages to having parents who try to make up for a lack of affection with a large infusion of cash.” Rachel hopped straight over the door and into the driver's seat without opening it. 

"I guess so," Annabeth said, letting herself in on the passenger side more conventionally. 

"So, how's things?" Rachel asked, slipping on movie star sunglasses that would have made Piper cringe. 

"They're good. Classes are hard, but manageable," she said. "I'm excited about finishing up."

"No kidding! I'm looking forward to getting back to the city."

Rachel had been accepted at NYU, and was going to study art. 

"We'll miss you," she told Rachel. 

"You'll be back," Rachel said breezily. "We're all New York people at heart. So, tell me everything! What's been happening here? This communication issue everyone has been having is super annoying. It's not just Iris Messages. I can't even get my cell phone to work. That's why I couldn't warn you I was coming."

Annabeth shook her head. "Ours aren't working either." Annabeth went ahead and filled in Rachel on everything they knew. "Last we'd heard, Apollo and Meg were heading west from Indianapolis, looking for Grover." 

Rachel sighed. She then changed lanes, drawing a honk from a cabbie, who Rachel casually flipped off. "I figured as much... whatever has been blocking my gifts is still there." She shook her head. “This sucks. I was finally getting used to this whole Oracle thing, and then it’s suddenly gone. When I get my hands on Apollo again, I swear I’m going to wring his scrawny little neck while I still can.” 

Annabeth laughed. “A common sentiment I’m sure,” she agreed.

“So how’s Percy?” Rachel demanded. “What have you guys been up to? He managing at school?”

“Better than I ever dreamed,” Annabeth admitted. “He’s really buckled down this year. He was determined that we would both get into New Rome, and by gods, he’s managed it.” She really was very proud of Percy. 

“Good for him!” Rachel said. “Where is he tonight? I want to pick him up, and we’ll head back to my apartment and order up expensive food on my Dad’s GrubHub account.”

“He’s supposed to be having dinner with his swim team pals tonight,” Annabeth said. “I’m not sure where they were going. And he doesn’t have a phone. Not that it would work right now anyway.”

“Well, shit,” Rachel said. “We’ll just have to catch up again tomorrow. I’m free all weekend. Guess it’s just you and me tonight, girl.” Rachel expertly shifted gears on the sports car and pulled out ahead of a transit bus to merge onto FDR Drive and headed toward the Upper East Side. 

They managed to get to Rachel’s apartment without getting killed in traffic, which Annabeth thought was a minor miracle, given Rachel’s aggressive driving style. She’d flipped her keys to a uniformed valet who had given her a big smile as she tipped him generously. “Thank you, Miss Dare.”

“Daddy hates it when I tip the valet. So I do it as often as I can get away with. Easier when he’s not here, though.” 

“Where is your dad?” Annabeth asked as they rode the elevator up.

“Chicago. Some big land deal. And mom’s on a business trip. Figures, right? I’m home for a weekend, and neither of them could be bothered to be home for me.” She shrugged. “On the other hand, I have the apartment to myself.”

Annabeth had been to Rachel’s apartment a few times now, but every time she was there, her breath caught at the view of Central Park. She stared out the window as Rachel made her way to the kitchen. It was hard to believe that Percy’s modest apartment was less than a mile away. It might as well have been in a different world. 

“So, what will it be?” Rachel asked, rummaging in a drawer for takeout menus. “Delmonico steaks? Surf and turf?” She opened the fridge. “And, since my parents are away anyway, I’ve got a perfect rosé for the occasion,” she was grinning mischievously as she set the bottle on the counter. “Girls night!” 

Annabeth laughed. “While I have no objection to a little underage drinking on principle, I do have class tomorrow.”

Rachel waved this away. “A glass or two won’t kill you. Just drink a couple of glasses of water with it, you’ll be fine.”

“Do this often?” Annabeth asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Gods, yes. What the fuck else is there do in bumfuck New Hampshire?” Rachel asked. “We take turns smuggling the wine in for Friday nights.” 

Annabeth laughed. “Let me see those take out menus.”

They ended up ordering from some steakhouse that Rachel knew, and it must have cost a fortune, but they ate and drank rosé sitting cross legged on bean bag chairs in the room Rachel used for a painting studio. 

It was so good to catch up with Rachel. Rachel shared in their world, and next to Piper, was probably her best friend. Annabeth could talk without censoring herself about her nightmares, their shared worries about what was going on with Apollo and Meg, and their concerns about what was happening out west. 

“And how’s Percy holding up?” Rachel asked. “Is he still having nightmares, too?”

Annabeth nodded. “About 2 to 3 times a week, about the same as me,” she admitted. “It’s harder now that our phones aren’t working, too. We used to text with each other when we woke up from nightmares. It’s harder without that.”

“I bet,” Rachel agreed. “I hope that Apollo gets that fixed soon.”

“Percy’s working hard, with school, and most of the time, he’s just getting by, same as me. The sessions with Dr. Berger have helped.”

“I might look him up this summer,” Rachel admitted. “It would be nice to talk to someone who understands, rather than having to figure out ways to explain these various traumas in a way that the rest of my mortal brothers and sisters understand.”

“Exactly!” Annabeth said, a little louder than she expected. Maybe the rosé was getting to her.

“Sooo….” Rachel drew out the vowel, and looked at her mischievously. “What about the two of you together? How’s that going?”

“Percy would go to City Hall tomorrow with me, if I’d let him,” Annabeth said bluntly. She  _ was  _ beginning to get a little lightheaded. “Sometimes I think it’s a great idea, and sometimes, the idea terrifies me.”

“Wow, so you guys are already talking marriage?” Rachel whistled. “That’s intense.” But she shrugged. “It makes sense though. I mean, it’s not like you guys aren’t, like, permanently fused or something. Might as well just accept it and move on.”

Annabeth gave her a mild glare. “You sound like Percy.”

“He’s not wrong.”

“We’re, like, 17.”

“So? It’s not the age, it’s the mileage, dearie,” Rachel said, waving her wine glass. “And no one is going to argue that you and Percy haven’t done the mileage together.”

“Well, that’s true,” Annabeth agreed.

“So...are you two getting it on yet?” Rachel asked. “I want details! This whole Oracle gig has left me living vicariously through others, so spill!”

Annabeth laughed, and almost fell off her bean bag. “Seriously? Are you sure it isn’t just because you once had the hots for my boyfriend?” 

Rachel waved expansively with her wine glass. “You can’t deny I had good taste.” 

“Well, that much is true,” Annabeth allowed. “But I hate to disappoint you. We are  _ not _ having sex. Though we came close once or twice.”

“Oooh, tell me.” 

Annabeth related the story about their babysitting adventure from a few weeks back.

“Damn girl!” Rachel toasted her with her glass. Annabeth giggled. “So, when are you going to do it?”

“I don’t know,” Annabeth admitted. “I do  _ not _ want to be a cliche and do it on prom night, and beside, I don’t think Percy even thought to get a hotel room, so there’s that.”

“A little oblivious sometimes, our Percy,” Rachel said. Annabeth giggled again. When did she start giggling. She needed to stop drinking the wine. “So, I guess things are going okay?” Rachel asked again.

“More than OK. Percy is, like, the other half of my soul,” Annabeth said. “He’s like, my soulmate.”

“Oookay,” Rachel laughed. “You’re cut off. No more rosé for you. Get a glass of water. I’m not having my dad’s driver take you back drunk.”

Annabeth giggled. “You’re probably right.” Annabeth stood up, a little unsteadily, and went to the kitchen for water. 

“So you’re happy?” Rachel asked, following her.

Annabeth reflected for a moment. “Yes,” she said finally. “I mean, some days it’s no picnic. But I’ve got Percy, and we’re going to graduate, and assuming nothing kills us this summer, we’re going to college together. Which is not something I ever thought would happen, even two years ago. So yeah, I’m happy. And I’m going to fight to stay that way.”

Rachel smiled. “That’s my girl. So, when’s the wedding?”

Annabeth snorted her water out her nose, and coughed. Rachel patted her on the back, laughing, as Annabeth tired not to drown. “First of all,” Annabeth coughed. “Screw you for trying to drown me.” Rachel laughed even harder. “Second of all, he hasn’t even proposed yet.”

“Does he really need to?” Rachel asked. “I mean, couldn’t you two just go down to City Hall and make things official. Then you could get on with the down and dirty, and no one would stop you.”

“And  _ third of all _ ,” Annabeth persisted. “Neither one of us will turn 18 till summer, which makes it illegal for us to actually get married.”

“Details, smetails.” Rachel waved this away. “You could go on Percy’s birthday. It would be awesome! He could go buy a pack of ciggies, register for the draft, marry his soul mate! Or, oh, wait this is awesome! You could elope to Atlantic City! You’d both be old enough to play the slots!” 

Annabeth shook her head, and tried to latch onto some sanity. “Why in the name of  _ Hades _ would Percy  _ want  _ to buy cigarettes?”

Rachel shrugged. “Because it’s something to do when you turn 18. I did it. I bought a pack of Virginia Slims and 50 bucks worth of scratch tickets at the Mobile on the Run near the school.”

“You didn’t smoke them, did you?” Annabeth was horrified.

“One,” Rachel said. “I nearly threw up. I never intended to do more than one, anyway. I pitched the rest, but saved the package, in case I ever want to flip Daddy out. I just did it because it was something I could do.” She shrugged. “I won 15 bucks on the scratch tickets, though, so at least the cigarettes paid for themselves.”

Annabeth shook her head. “Sometimes, Rachel, I really don’t understand you.”

Rachel grinned. “I thrive on unpredictability.” She paused. “Funny thing to say for someone who used to be able to see the future.” 

Annabeth drank more water. “Apollo will fix it,” Annabeth assured her. “He’ll figure it out.”

“He’d better,” Rachel growled. 

“He’s got good help. If he gets to California, he’ll have Piper and Jason to help him.”

Rachel went still for a moment, then shivered. 

“What?” Annabeth asked, concerned.

“I dunno,” she answered. “I just got a funny feeling, that’s all. I know it’s crazy, and I’m not supposed to feel anything, but once in a while, I get these...flashes.”

“What are you feeling?” Annabeth asked.

"Nevermind,” Rachel said, and for a moment, she looked much older than the tipsy-underage high school senior she was. “It’s not important.”

Annabeth opened her mouth to question further, but thought the better of it. “Okay.” Sometimes it was better not to know. 

Rachel shook it off, and her good humor returned. “So, yeah, why couldn’t you guys elope to Atlantic City? It would be sooo cute!” They filled their water glasses and returned to their food.

“Percy wants to get married on the beach at camp,” Annabeth told her. “And I already...oh, wait, I haven’t told you this story yet! I already have a dress! Mom got it for me.” 

“Say what now?” Rachel asked.

Annabeth grinned. “You’re going to love this one…”

Later, Rachel’s driver dropped Annabeth off in front of her dorm. They’d made plans to reconnect the following day, Friday, and drive over to Goode and be there when Percy got out of school. 

“Where have you been?” Kirsten asked, when she got back to the room.

“An old friend came into town unexpectedly, and we went out for dinner. Well, actually, we went to her apartment and got GrubHub, but same difference,” Annabeth explained. She stumbled a bit trying to navigate around Kirsten’s back pack.

“Annabeth Chase!” Kirsten accused. “Were you drinking?” 

Annabeth blushed. “Rachel’s parents are away, we may or may not have split a bottle of rosé.”

Kirsten was grinning wildly. “First getting busy with the boyfriend, now, underage drinking? Who are you and what have you done with my law and order roommate? Next you’ll be hanging out with Libby down the hall.”

“I did not have sex with Percy,” Annabeth said. “I did drink with Rachel.” 

“Of course you didn’t,” Kirsten soothed. 

“Why would I lie?” Annabeth asked, reasonably. 

“I dunno. It’s just fun taking the piss out of you,” Kirsten admitted. “Drink some more water, or you’ll have a hangover.”

“I will,” Annabeth promised.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know Uncle Rick somehow transported Rachel's school from NH to CT between BOO and the ToA, but I decided to keep Clarion in NH. (I think Uncle Rick needs someone to keep track of these details for him. After all, the biggest headache I have right now is trying to make it plausible why it took almost three months for news of Jason's death to reach Percy and Annabeth. Stupid internal chronology errors.)


	15. 15: Percy

The bell rang, and Percy started to gather up his things. “Mr. Jackson!” Mr. Adams called. “A word.”

Percy groaned internally. He liked Mr. Adams, most of the kids at Goode did, but no one wanted to be kept after class. Percy’s experience was that nothing ever good came from those meetings. “You go on,” he told Kamal, who shared this last period history class with him. “I’ll see you Monday.”

“Inshallah.” Kamal gave him a wave and left. Soon it was just Percy and Mr. Adams. 

“Percy,” Mr. Adams began, pulling a stack of papers from his desk. “I wanted to talk to you about your paper.”

Percy’s heart sank. He’d worked hard on his paper on the War on Terror. He’d argued that the United States had been foolish to ignore the warning signs given by the intelligence community and that it cost lives. He drew on his own experiences with the gods putting their heads in the sand over the Titans and again over Gaea, and how it had cost his friends lives. Paul had called it the best thing Percy had ever written. If Mr. Adams didn't like it…"Yes, sir?"

"Quite frankly, I'm blown away. This is far and away the best thing you've ever given me Percy. And to be honest with you, and I apologize for this, I actually asked you step-dad about it, because at first I wasn't sure you'd actually written it yourself. But Paul told me about the research you'd done and how many drafts he proofread for you," Mr. Adams said. "I'm sorry I doubted you."

Percy wasn't quite sure how to take that. "That's okay," seemed like a safe neutral response.

"Your insights here are excellent, almost as if you have seen it from ground level. That takes a special eye." Mr. Adams regarded him for a moment. "And while it's well papered by the academic language, it's clear you've got some bitterness there. Did you know someone who was killed in the war?"

_ Urp.  _ Everyone knew that before he had become a teacher, Mr. Adams had served in the Army Rangers. He’d gotten out before September 11th, but he’d known people who had gone to Afghanistan and Iraq. “I...uh, well,” Percy stammered. “It just...it doesn’t seem fair, does it? These decisions get made, and people die, and the g...the people in charge, they never get held accountable, do they? Even when the mistakes aren’t their fault.”

Mr. Adams nodded. “That’s true, that’s very true, Percy.” He waved Percy to a chair. “Grab a seat, if you’ve got an extra minute.”

Percy sat in a chair in the front row. Mr. Adams settled himself at his desk and turned to his mini-fridge. “Coke, Percy?”

“No, thanks,” Percy replied.

Mr. Adams popped the top on his coke. “Percy, what are you doing when you leave Goode?” he asked.

“I’m going to college, Mr. Adams. I’ve been accepted at New Rome University.” 

“Yeah, your stepdad said as much,” Mr. Adams drummed his fingers on the desk. “Have you considered what you’re going to do when you get there?”

“I’m planning on studying Marine Biology,’ Percy said. “It’s my favorite subject.”

“Have you ever considered the military, Percy?” Mr. Adams asked.

“Um. Mr. Adams, you’ve probably seen my track record. I don’t...I don’t know that authority and I get along very well,” Percy pointed out. 

“It’s not an idle question, Percy. I’ve watched you in my class, and I’ve seen you with your swim team. You have a natural authority. People respond to you, whether you realize it or not. I saw the same kind of thing in some of the best commanding officers I had when I was in the Rangers.” He shrugged. “You’d be surprised how many people in the military have problems with authority, Percy. I think those folks sometimes make the best leaders. Because they do what’s right, rather than what they’re told.”

Percy thought that was pretty profound. “I’m...well, I guess I could think about it.”

“I tried to find out if your school has a ROTC program,” Mr. Adams said. “I thought you might at least consider it.”

“I’m not sure, Mr. Adams. I...I don’t know if the military is the kind of life that I want,” Percy admitted. “I…”  _ I’m really hoping I never have to go to war again,  _ Percy thought. 

Mr. Adams studied him over his Coke. Mr. Adams was not what you would have stereotypically thought of as a ‘military type’. For one thing, he seemed too skinny. Until you got up close and realized that skinny was another word for  _ lean.  _ Mr. Adams may not have been built like a linebacker, but he definitely had power in his frame. He reminded Percy a little of Jason. 

“Percy, I’m going to go out on a limb here,” he said. “You have a look. I’ve seen it in my class. And I’ve heard about it in the hallway. In the service, we called it ‘the thousand yard stare’.” 

Percy tensed.

“I’m not trying to pry,” Mr. Adams leaned back in his chair, and made a placating gesture with his hands. “Paul said that you had a rough time before he met your mom, and that your 1st stepdad was no picnic. But he wouldn’t say more, and I don’t blame him. But I can tell you’ve seen things. I’ve been there,” Mr. Adams says. “I’ve seen people get hurt, I’ve seen worse,” he said. “I know what that’s like. And you know it too, I can tell. I don’t know how, and I don’t know where. But if you need someone to talk to, I just want you to know, I’ve been there.” 

Percy wasn’t sure what to say. “Mr. Adams...I…” he stammered. “I am seeing a therapist,” he said, for lack of something else to say.

Mr. Adams nodded. “Good. That’s good. It’ll help. But, let me tell you a story. There was this man, and he fell into a hole. And he couldn’t get out, and he called for help. And his friend came along, and the man said, help me get out of here. And the friend jumped down into the hole with him. And the man said, ‘what did you do that for? Now we’re both in here.’ And the friend said, ‘yes, but I’ve been here before. And I know the way out.” 

“I understand,” Percy said. “I do. And, thank you.” Percy meant it. Mr. Adams was only trying to be helpful. And he might have been. If he understood better. “I should be going,” he said. “I’m meeting my girlfriend after school today.”

Mr. Adams looked up in surprise. “I didn’t know you had a girlfriend.”

“She goes to the Forester School across town,” he said. 

“Oh, well, have a good weekend, then, Percy.” 

“Thank you, Mr. Adams.” And Percy escaped. He practically bolted down the hall, but he slowed his pace by the time he got to the front door. The corridors were mainly empty on a Friday afternoon, and Percy pushed his way out into the spring sunshine. There was the sound of a car horn.

“Jackson!” a voice called.

Percy turned and saw a red convertible sports car with the top down illegally parked in front of the school. Rachel and Annabeth were standing up in the front seats leaning on the windshield. “What took you so long?” Annabeth called. Both girls had on movie star sunglasses. Annabeth was still in her Forester School uniform, and Rachel was wearing some kind of boho blouse and skirt. They were attracting more than their share of attention from passers by. Percy broke into a run. He flung his book bag into the back seat and vaulted in as the girls settled back into their seats and Rachel revved the engine. 

“Where to?” she asked. 

“Anywhere but here,” Percy said. “Let’s go!” He fastened his safety belt as Rachel shoved the car into gear and left a strip of rubber on the pavement. 

"What are you doing here?" he asked Rachel over the road of the engine.

"Kidnapping you and Annabeth for a weekend of debauchery," Rachel called back.

"Sounds fun," he replied. "You on a break?"

"Just the weekend. Some school holiday or something. I wasn't paying attention. So, do you want to go to Camp?"

"Camp?" Percy perked up. "Did you tell my mom?" 

"Not yet," Annabeth said. "You can tell her when you pick up your things. I'm already packed, so as soon as you get your stuff we can go."

"Only tonight and into tomorrow, though," Rachel said. "Turns out my Dad is getting back early tomorrow and wants to have dinner." She made a gagging noise. "But we have tonight!"

"Does Chiron know?" Percy asked. 

"I called and left a message on the business line," Annabeth said, referring to the number Camp used for the strawberry sales. “I used the dorm phone. The connection wasn’t great, but I think I got through.”

Percy shrugged. Best they could do.

His mom was home when Rachel dropped him in front of his apartment. Rachel had said that she and Annabeth were going to pick up a few things to take to camp, but would be back shortly. His mom was cool with him going to camp overnight, but reminded him that he had promised to watch Estelle on Saturday night so that she and Paul could go to a writers group. He promised to be back in time, repeating what Rachel had said about her dad and going to dinner. He tossed clothes in a bag, kissed his mom, and was back at the curb by the time Rachel and Annabeth arrived. This time, Annabeth was in the backseat, and Percy joined her. She kissed him soundly as he buckled his seatbelt. “Mmm.” He murmured, kissing her back. 

“You two aren’t allowed to neck all the way to camp,” Rachel said. “Or I’m going to dump you on the Expressway somewhere.”

Percy and Annabeth laughed, as Rachel pulled out into traffic. 

They laughed and chatted all the way out of the city, sharing funny stories about their teachers and classmates. Percy told Rachel about Josh’s promposal, which Rachel found adorable, and Annabeth told Percy about her roommate’s latest political shenanigans, which went over Percy’s head, but Rachel found amusing.

By the time they got outside the city, the weather was cooling as evening drew on, so they reluctantly pulled over and put the top up on Rachel’s car. Annabeth cuddled close to him to try and warm up. “Love you,” he told her, putting his arm around her and kissing her forehead.

“Love you, too,” she said, smiling at him.

“That’s enough of that,” Rachel declared. “Hands where I can see’em,” she said. 

“We’re not always all over each other,” Percy protested.

“I know what you boys are like,” Rachel declared. “All hands.”

“Hey, you’re not supposed to know anything about that,” Percy pointed out. “Miss Oracle.”

Rachel laughed. “The rules say I have to be a maiden. It didn’t say anything about school dances.”

“Who is there to dance with up there?” Annabeth asked. “I thought you guys were in the middle of nowhere, and all girls.”

“Yes, on both counts, but there’s a boy school a couple towns over. They bused them in for the occasion. And believe me, they were pretty frisky, which I get, given we all might as well be in prison. Most of us girls were doing our fair share of frisky, too, so share and share alike.” 

“Apollo will get grumpy, if you’re bending the rules,” Percy said.

“Apollo can suck it,” Rachel said. “I’m still mad at him. Besides, he’d be more likely to get mad at the kid who copped a feel anyway.”

“Was he cute?” Annabeth asked.

“Not bad. I mean, he was no Percy, but he did for an evening of dancing and flirting,” she said with a laugh. Annabeth laughed with her, and Percy just shook his head.

“Just drive, Dare,” he ordered, and she pulled back out onto the highway.

By the time they climbed Half-Blood Hill into Camp, the few campers there were already around the campfire. There weren’t many, younger kids mostly. Percy first saw Cecil and Lou Ellen, as well as some of the others he’d seen earlier in the year when he’d been here with Apollo. Everyone waved and cheered them. Chiron greeted them warmly.

“Welcome,” he said, smiling. “It is good to see you all, if only for a short while. Have you eaten? I can arrange for food for you.” The dining pavilion had been mostly repaired from getting stomped on by the Colossus. Repairs to the Demeter Cabin had been prioritized, since they could eat around the campfire. 

“That would be great, thanks Chiron,” Percy said. He was starving. Chiron arranged for nymphs to bring them food. Percy took his plate over to one of the torches and portioned off three generous portions, then hesitated, and made a fourth. First. "Hey Dad," he whispered. "Enjoy." He scrapped some barbeque in, and the flames glowed warmly. Then, "Lady Athena, thank you for Annabeth." The flames snapped and hissed a little, but Percy thought he could sense it was more annoyed than anger. Next. "Lady Aphrodite, accept my offering and thank you for my love." Roses scented the air as his offering went in. Then he took a deep breath. Percy had been thinking about this for a long time. Percy and Annabeth had made plenty of gods angry in their time, and for the most part, he was content to let sleeping dogs lie. But if they were going to get married… "Lady Hera, I know we haven't always gotten along. But I intend to marry her, and I will always be faithful. Bless our marriage, when it happens." Percy hesitated and then added more to his offering before scraping it in the fire. The flames roared up, and nearly singed his eyebrows. He stepped back. He hoped that wasn't as bad a sign as it looked. 

"Are you okay?" Annabeth asked. "What was that all about? Who were you burning an offering to?"

"I spilled some grease from my barbecue," Percy lied. "Must have flashed up." Annabeth shook her head and stepped up to make her own offering. But Percy turned and saw Chiron watching him speculatively.

Soon enough they had joined the others around the campfire with plates of food, and sticks for roasting ‘smores. 

“Hey guys,” Will said, coming over to join them. “How’s it going?”

“Great!” Annabeth said. “Where’s Nico?”

“Oh, he’ll be along shortly,” Will waved over his shoulder. “He’d already gone in for the night. You know how he hates the social hours. I sent someone up to his cabin to let him know you were here. And that if he didn’t come down to say hello, there’d be consequences,” he drawled. 

“Oh, good,” Annabeth said sweetly. “Because I’d kill him too.”

Nico appeared then, as if in response. “No, I’m not going to let myself get killed, either by the scariest daughter of Athena ever, or by the world's most annoying boyfriend.” 

“Hey man,” Percy said, holding up his hand for a high five. Nico hesitated slightly before giving it. “Good to see you.”

“Good to see you, too.” Nico said. He was dressed in his usual black shirt and black leather jacket. He looked even more comfortable in his own skin than the last time Percy had seen him. He was really growing into himself, finally. Percy was happy for him.

“So how are things here?” Rachel asked as they all got settled around the campfire again.

“Quiet. But quiet is good,” Will said. “Not too many people to patch up.”

“No news from Apollo?” Annabeth asked. 

“No,” Nico said. “Nothing since we got word from Leo that he had left Indianapolis. You know as much as we do.” 

Percy sighed. He was worried, but there wasn’t anything he could do about it. 

“What about you guys?” Will asked. “How’s things on the outside?”

The next little while was spent filling in Nico and Will and others on their various goings on. Percy got congratulations for his performance at the state swim meet, while Annabeth’s siblings wanted to know how her AP classes were going. The Ares kids had grudgingly told them about the letter they’d had from Clarisse in Arizona, which said that she was managing to stay in school. 

They sang camp songs until they all started to droop. Rachel went off with Chiron to the Big House, her cave not yet fully repaired, and the Big House was a shorter walk anyway. Annaebth was chatting with Lou Ellen, and Percy found himself temporarily alone with Nico.

“So, how’s it going with Will?” Percy asked. 

Nico tensed, but then relaxed. “It’s...okay. I mean. He’s annoying as all Hades. But then, I suppose I am too. In my own way. Still...not quite...comfortable. So much has changed.”

Percy nodded. Having been born in a time when homosexuality was a secret that most people took to their grave, Nico was doing about as well as could be expected in adjusting to being out. “Well, we’re here for you, man,” Percy told him.

Nico hesitated. “Em. Thanks.” He paused. “How are you and Annabeth?” he asked.

Percy decided impulsively to confide in Nico. He deserved to know, in a way. “I’m going to ask her to marry me.”

Nico, for a split moment, looked stricken, and Percy thought he’d done the wrong thing. Then Nico seemed to gather his composure. “That’s...crazy. But wonderful for you.”

“Thanks,” Percy replied. “I even got a ring.”

“Um. Not to be dense, here,” Nico said. “But, I know I’ve been out of it a while, and maybe not up to speed. But I didn’t think people got engaged this young...I mean, normally.”

“Normally, no,” Percy admitted. “But are Annabeth and I even remotely normal?”

“Fair point.” Nico answered. “Well, congratulations, I guess.” He stuck out his hand awkwardly, and Percy shook it.

“Thanks,” Percy beamed. “I appreciate it.”

“Have you told Grover?” Nico asked. 

Percy shook his head sadly. “I haven’t been able to reach him, even with our link. I wish I knew what was going on.” 

“Don’t we all,” Nico said. “Percy…” he paused. “Thanks for telling me. It was...better, coming from you.” 

Percy grinned. “No problem, man. I hope you’re happy with Will.”

“Well, we don’t have the same kind of relationship as you do, but I don’t think there have been many people who do. But we’re happy, in our own way.”

“Then that’s all that matters,” Percy said. “And if you ever come up to the city, you’re welcome to visit, any time. My mom would love to see you.”

“Your mom is...a special person,” he said. 

“Yeah. And hey, if you ever want to take Reyna's advice and look up Dr. Berger, you can stay at my place on days you come up for appointments.”

“Erm. Thank you,” Nico said. “You...find the appointments useful then?”

“Very,” Percy assured him. “Dr. Berger helped both of us. We have medications that don’t affect our reflexes and clarity, but keep the anxiety attacks away. I have a lot fewer nightmares, and I think it’s helped me stay focused in school.”

Will had come up to them during this and glared pointedly at Nico. “See, what did I tell you?” he said to Nico. “Listen to the man.” He put his arm around Nico who tensed, but didn’t shrug it off. Percy thought Nico was a bit like a stray cat, always threatening to bolt at the least sign of trouble. 

“I’ll...think about it,” Nico said.

“Hey guys,” Annabeth said, putting her arms around Percy from behind. She leaned around to kiss him on the cheek. “What’s up?” 

“Not much,” Percy said. “Just catching up.”

“Well, it’s getting late. Walk me to my cabin?” she asked him. Will favored her with a broad wink at this patent proposition, and drifted off toward the Hades cabin with Nico in tow. 

“I think after all this time, you’d know how to find the Athena cabin,” Percy pointed out, as he walked arm in arm with Annabeth toward the cabins.

She bumped in with her hip. “Shut up, Seaweed Brain.”

“It’s nice to be back, even just for a visit,” he said. “It’s going to be strange, being on the other side of the country next year. I wish…” he trailed off.

“What?” Annabeth stopped him. “Percy? What is it?”

“I wish we had a place like the Romans do,” he finally blurted out. “Why don’t we have a town here, like New Rome?” He looked around. “It’s just not fair. We have to go out and try and survive on our own.”

“Because that’s the Greek style,” Annabeth said. “We’re not organized like them, we never did work well together. Look at Greek history, we spent more time fighting with each other than we did fighting our enemies.” She touched his cheek. “But I know what you mean,” she said. 

“I would live here,” he said. “With you.” 

She kissed him gently, “I love you.”

He kissed her back, fiercely, wanting to hold her close forever, so nothing could touch them again. She moved her mouth against his, returning the emotion with fervor. Her hands tangled in his hair and his hand found its way to the small of her back. Percy wasn’t sure how long it was before they came up for air, but he was panting, like he’d just done the 400 meter freestyle at a dead sprint. “We could build it, you know. You could, anyway,” he told her.

“What?” she said. 

“You could build it. A community. Sure, we’re a little short on space, but I’m sure we could work something out. Even if we built just outside the barrier, we would always have someplace to retreat to, in case of emergency.” It was an idea he’d been secretly thinking about for a long time. 

“Percy, I…”

“Just...think about it,” he said.

“Have you talked to Chiron about this scheme of yours?” she asked. They resumed their stroll toward her cabin.

“No,” he admitted. “You’re the first person I told.” 

She nodded. “So, hypothetically, let’s say we build a house here, or a community, as you say. What would we do?”

“What do you mean?” he was confused.

“Work? A paycheck?” she prompted.

“Oh,” he said. “It’s close enough for you to commute to the City, and work in whatever architecture firm is lucky enough to hire you. And I could find work here on the island. I’m sure someone needs marine biologists.” 

“But wouldn’t going into the City still expose me to monsters?” she asked, stopping and turning him to face her. She had that look on her face. The one that said  _ be very careful with what you say next.  _ But he had an answer.

“No, we’re never going to be completely safe. As much as I want to put you in a box somewhere and lock you away, I can’t do that,” he took a breath. “But my idea would be saf _ er _ .”

Annabeth nodded. “I’m glad you recognize that,” she said, turning back toward the cabins. “You  _ hav _ e put thought into this.”

Percy shrugged. “From time to time.” 

They walked in silence until they reached the front porch of the Athena cabin. She turned to face him, putting her arms around his neck. “I love you, Percy Jackson. You have the world’s biggest heart.” She kissed him, warmly. 

He kissed her back, holding her close again. He never got tired of this. He could spend the rest of his life kissing Annabeth, and he’d consider it time well spent. 

“All right you two,” a voice called. “That’s enough. Don’t make me throw a bucket of water on you.” 

Annabeth broke away and turned. “You wouldn’t dare, Malcom,” she said. “Percy’d stop the water in midair and you’d be the wet one.”

“Not if he didn’t see it coming,” Malcom Pace chuckled. “Seriously, though. That’s enough on the porch. You don’t want Mom to catch you like that, do you?” 

“Mom’s warming up to Percy,” Annabeth said. 

“Doesn’t mean she wants you getting to 2nd base on the front steps,” he countered. “Besides, it’s just about curfew.” 

“Good night, Malcom,” Percy said. He turned Annabeth and kissed her cheek. “See you in the morning, Wise Girl. I love you. Sweet dreams.”

“Of you?” she smirked at him.

“Of course,” he replied.

She shook her head. “Good night, Seaweed Brain.” And he turned to go.

He walked across the gap between the cabins toward his own cabin. He had just crossed the center of the green when he realized there was a light flickering in the windows of his cabin. That was odd. He hadn’t been in there yet. Unless Chiron had sent a nymph to air the place out, there shouldn’t be any light at all. He put his hand in his pocket by instinct, reassured by the presence of Riptide. 

The door was ajar when he got there, and he eased it open. “Hello?” 

There was a figure standing near the center of the room, a figure that Percy recognized. He swallowed hard, and bowed his head. “Lady Hera.”

She studied him for a long, long moment. “I cannot decide if you are brave or merely foolish,” she said, finally. Percy decided this required no comment. “But you are one of the Seven, so I could lean toward bravery.” Again, Percy chose to hold his tongue. Annabeth would have been proud of him, had she been here.

“It is true that I have had my...disagreements...with you, and your girlfriend in the past. I do not know that I will ever particularly  _ like _ her. But you did serve me well. And I also know faithfulness.” She studied him. “Your fatal flaw is your loyalty, I know this as well as you. But loyalty in relationships is no flaw. And loyalty in marriage is virtue, not vice. This I well understand.”

Percy decided that unless he were asked a direct question, he had no intention of saying anything. Which, he reflected, was probably the wisest thing he’d ever done in his life. At 14, Hera had not been scary, because he had no conception of her realm. At 17, and seriously considering marriage, and children, the Goddess of Marriage and Family had become utterly terrifying.

“You say nothing?” Hera said, raising an eyebrow at him. Percy shook his head. She considered him another moment, her expression changing. “You have perhaps grown in wisdom. Athena’s daughter’s influence, no doubt. Even Athena warms to you, so your devotion must be impressive. Your relationship bridges the gap between Athena and Poseidon, which is truly miraculous.” She studied him another moment.

“I will consider your request,” she said finally. “Loyalty and devotion are the foundations of marriage, Perseus Jackson. These things, you appear to have. After all, when even Artemis considers you among the noblest of men, attention must be paid.” Percy blinked hard. “I will watch, and consider. Farewell, son of Poseidon.”

Percy turned away as Hera turned to pure light and vanished. 

Percy sighed deeply. He could do without unannounced visits of that variety. He changed and climbed into his bunk. He was tired, and it didn’t take him long to fall asleep.

The next day they had breakfast around the campfire before Percy got some sparing time in the sword ring, sparing with some of the other kids, but also with Annabeth. She got him two falls out of three, but around lunchtime, they strolled out to the beach for a picnic. 

“I’m not going to see you much in the next couple of weeks, am I?” Percy asked, as they sat on the picnic blanket. Annabeth had pulled on an old sweatshirt of Percy’s, since it was colder by the water. 

“Probably not,” she admitted. “In fact, I’m really starting to regret letting Rachel talk me into coming down. I should be studying.”

“You’ll be back tonight. Think of it as a last fling before you disappear into your study bunker,” he said, taking a sandwich out of the basket they’d brought.

“I suppose,” Annabeth said.

“I’ll miss you,” Percy said. “But I know you need to focus.”

“I’ll miss you too,” she said. “But you are entirely too distracting.” She leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. 

“How are we going to manage college together?” he asked, half-joking.

“College will be different,” she said. “But yeah, there’s going to be times when I’m probably going to need space.”

He nodded. He’d figured as much. “We’ll manage,” he said. “Can’t be worse than anything else we’ve faced.” 

“No,” Annabeth agreed. “AP tests, or college finals...they seem to get small in comparison with what we’ve been through.”

“And besides,” Percy added. “Eventually, we’ll get used enough to each other that we won’t be as distracting.”

“Oh, you think so?” she asked. She looked up at him askance. “Do you think you’ll get so used to me that I won’t distract you?”

“Um…” Percy realized he’d made a bad mistake.

“So you don’t think this will be distracting?” she ran a finger up his arm, lightly, so that his skin prickled with goosebumps.

“Um…”

“Or…” she gave him a saucy look. “This?” she stretched her arms up over her head, and then leaned backwards onto her elbows, so that his sweatshirt and her t-shirt rode up, exposing the toned muscles of her abs. He could just see the bottom edge of her sports bra. 

“Um.” Percy said. “I guess not.”

“You guess not what?” she asked. “Hmmm?” She looked at him, batting her eyelashes.

“I guess you will always be distracting,” he said. “When we move in together, we’ll have to make sure we get a place big enough for a study, so you can go in there to focus.”

“When we move in together?” she sat up and pulled the sweatshirt down. “That’s a little forward, don’t you think?” she asked. “When were you planning on this to happen?” she asked.

“I mean,” Percy floundered. “We will...at some point. I mean, we’re getting married. Someday.”

Annabeth took a bite of her sandwich. “Fair point. I guess I thought you were talking about sometime soon, like when we go off to college.”

“We could, y’know,” he countered. “We could get an apartment together in New Rome.”

She took another bite of her sandwich while she processed this. “You’re seriously suggesting we move in together?” 

“I mean, I suppose it’s a big step,” Percy turned his attention to his own food. “But we can think about it.”

“What would your mother say?” Annabeth asked.

“I don’t know,” Percy admitted. “What about your dad?” 

Annabeth pursed her lips. “He probably wouldn’t been thrilled with the idea,” she allowed. “But he’d get over it.” 

“Would it make a difference to you if he said no?” Percy asked.

Annabeth considered. “I don’t know. I’d have to think about it.” 

He nodded. There was silence between them, and Percy decided to change the subject. “I’m going to miss this place,” he said.

“We’re not leaving yet,” Annabeth said. “And we’ll be back.”

“I know,” Percy said. But he couldn’t shake the melancholy that had settled over him. “But everything seems like it’s changing so fast.”

Annabeth reached out and took his hand. “Well, I promise you this, Seaweed Brian. This will never change. I love you.”

He gripped her hand tightly, and smiled back at her. “I love you too, Wise Girl.”

“There you guys are!” Rachel’s voice called. “I thought you guys might have snuck off somewhere to get busy,” she said, coming over the top of a dune and joining them.

“And yet, you came looking for us anyway,” Annabeth pointed out. “Do you have a voyeur fetish or something?”

“No,” Rachel said. “Maybe. But mostly just to tell you that we need to leave soon,” she said. She took a bag of chips out of the picnic basket. “The radio says there’s been an accident on the LIE, and traffic is a mess. I don’t want to be late.”

“And I need to start studying for my AP tests,” Annabeth sighed. “Okay, we’ll leave right after lunch.”

When they eventually got back to the city, they dropped off Annabeth first. “Good luck on your tests, Wise Girl,” Percy told her as they let her off. “When’s your last one?”

“A week from Thursday, AP Physics is the last one.” 

Percy nodded. “Well, go kick some ass, okay?”

“You bet,” she said. She kissed him. Rachel made gagging noises from the front seat. “See you, Dare.”

“Catch you later, Chase,” Rachel said.

Annabeth left, and Rachel drove him uptown. “So how’s it going for you?” she asked. “You hanging in there?” 

Percy nodded. “Only about a month. I’ll make it,” he said. “You?”

“Same,” she said. “I can’t wait to get the fuck out of there.”

“A part of me can’t wait to get out to New Rome, and finally feel safe. Part of me doesn’t want to leave New York. Does that make any sense?”

“Of course it makes sense,” Rachel answered. “Nobody likes change, really. Change makes us uncomfortable. It’s unsettling. We get married to our routines. They feel safe...even when they aren’t.”

“You sound like my therapist,” Percy accused.

“Psychology class will do that to you,” Rachel said. “So when are you and Annabeth going to tie the knot?” she asked.

“Soon, I hope,” Percy said. “I got a ring and everything.”

“No shit!” Rachel said. “Where’d you get a ring?”

“From my step-mom. She made it out of jewels and stuff found in the sea. It’s beautiful.”

“You don’t have it with you, do you? I want to see!” she demanded.

“It’s at my house, and no. you can’t see,” Percy said. “That’s not fair to Annabeth. She’ll want to show it off.”

Rachel glared at him in the rearview mirror. “You’re too smart for your own good, sometimes, Jackson. So when are you going to pop the question?” she asked.

“Soon, I hope,” he said. “I’m waiting for the right moment. I’m no good at planning. So I’m going to be spontaneous.”

“Playing to your strengths, I like it,” she said. “Just make sure it’s romantic,” she ordered. “Or I’ll never forgive you.”

“Yes, ma’am,” he laughed.


	16. 16: Annabeth

Percy, predictably, was waiting for her. “Why are you here?” she demanded. Which she regretted almost instantly. It was hardly what she should have said after he’d essentially avoided her for nearly two full weeks during the AP tests. At her request. 

Percy was impervious to the implicit rebuke and he grinned as he held up the bag from Panera. “I love you, too. I brought your favorite. I figured you’d want some food now that it’s all over.”

Annabeth had just finished her last AP test, her physics test. She was done. Almost two weeks, and four grueling sessions, World History, Calculus, Chemistry and Physics, but she was done. She’d asked Percy not to come over during the testing period. She loved him, but she didn’t need the distraction. He’d understood, reluctantly. But he’d managed to be there anyway. Somehow, he’d managed to plant Post-its throughout her notebooks and textbooks, with inspirational quotes, or just words of encouragement, or even just, “I love you.” She’d had no idea when he had done it, but she’d carefully peeled each one out, and made a small wall mural with them next to her desk as she’d studied. They may not have been the world’s most romantic couple, and Percy didn’t always think of things like flowers or elaborate prom-posals, but these little gestures that he  _ did _ come up with somehow made up for it. Kirsten thought it was adorable. 

“Shouldn’t you be in class?” she said, but she sat down on the bench next to him anyway.

Percy waved this away. “I only have a study hall on Thursday afternoons. The teacher never takes attendance anyway. I don’t think he even knows when we come and go. I just asked him if I could go to the bathroom, and ducked out the back door. It’s the last class of the day anyway.”

Annabeth sighed. But really, if that’s the only thing he was missing it didn’t matter much. And Percy had gotten light years better about school and studying. “All right, fine.” She took the sandwich from the bag and eagerly unwrapped it. She’d been too keyed up to eat before the test, which Percy had clearly predicted. 

“How’d it go?” he asked.

“Okay,” she admitted. “This wasn’t the one I was most concerned about anyway, that was Monday, with the chem exam.”

“Yeah, you mentioned that,” Percy said neutrally. She shoved his shoulder. “What?”

“You’re making fun of me,” she grumbled.

“Well, you only said it several thousand times in the last few weeks,” Percy said with a grin. “I think even a Seaweed Brain like myself would have figured it out.” She glared at him. “So, are you ready for this weekend?”

It took her a moment to disengage her brian from a mental review of her test to Percy’s question. “Yes,” she said after a moment. “You?”

“I just have to pick up my tux tomorrow afternoon,” he said. “And then I’ll be here at 5:30 on Saturday to pick you up.” 

“How are you picking me up?” 

“Probably a car service,” Percy admitted. “I don’t want to have to worry about the parking.”

“That’s smart, but it doesn’t have to be a car service. We can take a cab,” she said. 

“I’m not taking you to prom in a cab, Annabeth,” Percy said, rolling his eyes. “Seriously? Some of the kids are talking about limos and supercars. I’m not rolling up in a yellow Ford Taurus. Or with my luck, we’d get one of those minivan cabs. The least I can do is book a town car.”

“It’s too bad your dad’s not Apollo, you could have asked to borrow the sun chariot in Maserati mode.”

“Not right now, I couldn’t,” Percy pointed out.

“Oh, yeah.”

“Now, if we’ve had our prom on a ship, I probably could have shown up by commanding a shipwreck to come to the surface, and sailing it by myself.”

“You can do that?” she asked. "Summon a shipwreck, I mean." She knew he could sail anything. 

Percy shrugged. “I haven’t tried, but I think it’s theoretically possible. Maybe I’ll try it next summer at Camp.”

“That could be entertaining,” she said, around bites of her sandwich. 

“Don’t know how Chiron would appreciate it, or Mr. D,” he said. “But the look on their faces might be worth it. Imagine having a three masted sailing ship pull up to the beach?” Percy chuckled. “Definitely going to have to try it.” Percy muched some chips from the bag. “What are you doing tonight? Do you want to go to a movie? Now that your studying is done?”

Annabeth shook her head. “A bunch of us who took APs are getting together for a thank-the-gods it’s over party in the dorm lounge. I’m supposed to bring the Cokes.” Annabeth smiled softly at Percy’s crestfallen expression. “But it’s okay. We’ve got prom the day after tomorrow.” His expression lightened at that thought. 

“I can’t wait to see your dress,” he said. “Mom keeps teasing me about it.”

“You just have to wait a couple more days,” she said.

“Mmm,” Percy said. “So...weird question.”

“Mmph?” Annabeth’s mouth was full. 

“Should I have booked a room at the hotel where the prom is or something? Because Josh was talking about how his older brothers all got one, and they were talking about pooling their money to get him one, and he wasn’t sure how he felt about it, and I was all like ‘what for? Do we have to stay over?’ and he just kind of looked at me funny, and changed the subject and I was…”

She inhaled part of her sandwich and started choking. Percy pounded her on the back until the slice of tomato spat out onto the sidewalk and she was laughing. Actual tears were forming at the corner of her eyes.

“Are you okay?” Percy asked, looking very concerned. Annabeth tried to catch her breath, but his expression was so damn earnest she couldn’t help it.

“You really said ‘what for’?” she gasped. He looked confused. “Gods, Percy, I love you. Rachel was right. You are so oblivious.”

“Huh?” he looked mildly offended. 

“Tell me something,” she asked him. “Do you want me?”

“What? I mean, I have you, right, you’re my girlfriend…”

“No, Seaweed Brain,” she said, and she turned and put her hand on his thigh and leaned in close to his face. “Do you  _ want  _ me?” 

“Oh,” Percy sucked in a breath. “I mean, yeah.” His eyes were going a shade darker. “Hades, yeah. I mean, we almost, that time a couple weeks ago…”

“Well then,” she said, leaning back. “Don’t you think getting a hotel room after prom, when we’re dressed up in our fanciest clothes, and looking spectacular for each other, might facilitate that concept?”

Percy’s mouth dropped open as it all came together. “Ohhhhhh.” 

Annabeth couldn’t really blame him though. Neither one of them had what could be called a “normal” teenagerhood. The fact that Percy had missed the boat on these common social conventions wasn’t really all that surprising. “Yes, Percy, people get hotel rooms after prom. They come in one of two flavors. Guys hoping to get their date into bed, or groups of friends hoping to escape parental supervision for a night and drink underage. Or both.”

“Oh, that makes so much more sense now,” Percy said, putting his hand on his forehead and leaning his elbow on his knee. “Because Josh was saying something about how he wasn’t sure about Darah and…oh my gods, it all makes sense now.” He shook his head. Then he paused, and sat up, turning his green eyes on her. “So…”

Annabeth felt her insides grow warm as he turned that gaze on her. “What, you want to try and book one now?” she smirked at him. “Have you considered how expensive they’re likely to be?” Percy’s face scrunched up the way it always did when she poked holes in his plans. She sighed. “Percy, I’m happy to have a normal prom and our senior year is going great, but I think I’m going to draw the line on losing my virginity on prom night. That’s just…”

“Too cliche?” Percy finished for her. 

“Yeah,” she agreed, stealing some chips from his bag. “I think I’d feel like I was in a cheesy teen rom-com, or a ‘very special episode’ of a soapy teen TV show. Now,” she paused, “that’s not to say I don’t appreciate the sentiment,” she leaned into him again, putting her hand back on his thigh. “And believe me, I do.” She squeezed his thigh. “But just, not this Saturday.” 

Percy shrugged. “Fair enough,” he said. But his eyes bored into her, and she felt like she could melt into them “But maybe we should find a time to slip away somewhere private,” he said. “I mean, if you want to as much as I do.” 

“Gods, yes,” she agreed. “We just haven’t had the time.” But Annabeth wasn’t sure that was all there was to it. Clearly they desired each other, but the fact was that their relationship didn’t need to be defined by sex. If they’d been that desperate for it, wouldn’t they have found the time? She knew plenty of the girls back at her dorm who had managed it, one way or another. And their relationships had been far less secure than hers with Percy. And maybe that was it. Maybe she and Percy didn’t need a physical relationship to build an emotional one. They’d already done that part. 

Didn’t change the fact that she was horny, though. And if she was horny, she couldn’t imagine what Percy was dealing with.

“You know, Paul and I talked about that when you girls were out dress shopping.”

“What?” she screeched. Pigeons scattered from around their bench. She might have been a little loud there.

“No, no,” Percy soothed. “So, look, Paul was all reving up for another variation on “the Talk”, and I explained to him I really didn’t need another go around, especially after Coach Hedge, and that we weren’t having sex.”

“Oh, okay.” She started breathing again. She was no longer worried she wouldn’t be able to look Paul in the eyes the next time she saw him. 

“Yeah, so, he pretty much just was like, you’re adults, be responsible.” Percy shrugged. “Which is pretty much my mom’s attitude. After all, she can’t say too much without coming off as a hypocrite.”

Annabeth nodded, not quite wanting to share her own conversation that she’d had with Sally during dress shopping.

“Anyway,” Percy said. “I guess that answers that question. But how would you feel about going out for ice cream after prom gets out?”

“In our formal wear?” she asked.

“Why not?” he shrugged. “I like ice cream.”

Annabeth smiled. “Fine.” She ruffled his hair.

They talked of simple things, and complained about school, until Percy had to head home. Annabeth went to the store and bought the Cokes that she took to the party. 

“There you are!” Brigitte said as Annabeth carried the Cokes into the common room, grabbing a Coke and pouring it into a solo cup. “Did you get lost?”

“No, I had to stop to get the Cokes.”

“And smooch her boyfriend,” Libby added, pouring a generous measure of Captain Morgan into her Coke. Libby and Brigitte had smuggled in the bottle weeks ago, hiding it between the wall and the dresser in their dorm. She stashed it back under the couch after she was done, in case someone wandered in unexpectedly. 

“What, was he waiting for you after you got out of the test?” Nikitha asked. “That’s adorbs.”

“It’s disgusting, that’s what it is,” Libby disagreed. “I’ve never seen anyone so sappy.”

Annabeth grabed herself a plate and piled up some cheese puff on it, and found a place on one of the couches. She ignored the banter. 

“Aren’t you going to prom with him twice?” Nikitha asked. “Once at his school and once here?”

“We’ll finally get to meet him for real, instead of just watching them make-out on the front steps.” Brigitte said.

“Where did you meet him?” Nikitha asked, “You’re from the West Coast, right? But you guys were dating when you started here.”

“My family’s been all over. I lived here for a while before my dad moved out west. I knew Percy from then,” Annabeth answered. “We’re going to get to meet Anthony, too, right?” she asked Kassandra, changing the target of the conversation. 

Kassandra nodded. “Yeah. I can’t go with him to his, so he’s coming here for ours. Anthony’s school’s prom is on a Friday, and I can’t miss class to drive upstate.” 

“He’s staying over, right?” Libby asked. 

“Of course,” Kassandra said. 

Talk became more general at that point, bitching about the AP tests, talking about their prom dresses. “What’s your dress look like?” Nikitha asked Annabeth. 

“It’s...blue, with gold trim,” she said. “It’s a halter top.”

“It’s gorgeous,” Ava said. “We were studying when it was delivered from the store after the alterations, and I made her try it on for me. She’s going to be a bombshell.”

“Blue is Percy’s favorite color,” she admitted. 

“Damn, girl,” Libby said. She was already tipsy. “Why don’t the two of you just get married already.”

“We will,” Annabeth admitted. “Not right away, but we will.” 

“Daaaaaamn!” Libby exclaimed. “You’re already talking about getting fuckin’ married?” 

“Seriously?” Nikitha asked. “My parents want me to get married, but that’s their cultural programming. Who even thinks that?”

“Yeah, no shit,” Brigitte said. “You’re not serious, are you Beth?”

Annabeth privately disliked being called Beth, but she had learned earlier in life that correcting people made them think you were pretentious, so she’d let it go. “Yes,” she said simply. “Percy and I...we’re forever,” she smiled, thinking of the way that Percy always described their relationship.

Most of the girls looked at her like she was nuts, but Annabeth saw Ava and Kassandra giving her shy looks of curiosity. Annabeth made eye contact with both of them, and nodded toward the hallway. Time to go. This really wasn’t their scene. 

It was easy to make an escape by this point. The conversation was degenerating as the Captain was taking hold, and the other girls were setting up cups for pong, and someone else had turned up the stereo. Annabeth, Ava and Kassandra ended up back in Annabeth’s room. Kirsten was in the room already, reading up for a literature test. 

“I’m surprised you lasted this long,” she said, when the three girls arrived. “I figured you three would bail when Libby and Birgitte broke out the Captain.”

“I’m trying to be more social,” Annabeth said. Kirsten snorted and went back to her reading. Annabeth didn’t socialize often, or much at all, with most of the girls who went to the party. She’d studied with most of them at one time or another, but not frequently. She honestly hadn’t been sure she’d wanted to go, and if Percy had pushed earlier in the day, she might have bailed entirely. Annabeth sat on her bed, and Kassandra took her desk chair. Ava flopped onto the room’s beanbag. “It wasn’t working.”

“Libby was already tanked,” Ava said. “I think she and Brigitte were pre-gaming before the Coke arrived.”

“They have a problem,” Kassandra said.

“No shit,” Kirsten snorted. 

“Annabeth, how long have you and Percy been together, really?” Kassandra asked. 

“Oh, man,” Annabeth paused to consider. “Is it...yeah, I guess it’s been almost two years. But we’ve known each other a looooong time,” she said. 

“”How long?” she persisted.

“Since we were like, 13. Like I said, a long time,”

“How do you know he’s the one?” Ava asked.

Kirsten laughed. “Look at her wall.” Kirsten pointed to the collage of sticky notes that Annabeth had created out of Percy’s notes of encouragement. “That guy has got to be the biggest romantic in NYC. He hid those things in all of her notebooks and textbooks, because she wanted to stay on campus this week to study, and he wouldn’t be here to talk to her.” 

Kassandra and Eva studied the wall. “He did all of this for you?” Kassandra asked.

Annabeth blushed. “Yeah, well, he can be a dork sometimes. Sweet, but a dork.”

“But Annabeth, really,” Kassandra asked. “You’re only 17. Marriage? This is the rest of your life.”

Annabeth reflected on the depth of what Ava and Kassandra and all the rest didn’t know about her relationship with Percy. How could she explain, or even begin to justify…? “Percy and I...we’ve been through a lot. He’s kept me sane at some pretty dark times,” she said. “Things were...tough before I came here, and even after to some degree. Percy’s...always been there.”

“Anthony has hinted that he thinks we’ll stay together, and maybe one day get married,” Kassandra said. “I wish I knew how I felt about that.”

_ Would he walk through literal hell with you? Would he sacrifice himself for you? _ “I...don’t know if I can put it into words,” Annabeth said, struggling. This was impossible.

Ava and Kassandra seemed to grasp that Annabeth was unable to quantify her relationship. "Can I see your dress?" Kassandra asked. 

"Sure!" Annabeth said, relieved to change the subject. She went into her closet and pulled out the dress. She took off her uniform skirt, and unbuttoned her blouse. Then she pulled her dress over her head. She turned. "Well?"

"Oh my God! Annabeth, it's beautiful!" Kassandra gushed.

"I know, right? I'm so jealous," Ava said. "That dress is perfect for you. And I love how it's full length. My dress is so short, I'm afraid I'm going to spend half the evening tugging the hem down."

"That's why I picked this one," Annabeth admitted. "I tried a bunch on, but I hated them. Percy's mom finally took me to this bridal shop and the sales clerk helped me find this one."

"You went dress shopping with Percy's mom?" Kassandra said. "That must have been weird."

"Nah," Annabeth said. "With my dad and stepmom out on the West Coast, Sally's been like a second mom for me for years. We had a fun time."

"At least you know you'll get along with your in-laws," Ava said. 

Annabeth turned in the dress, and she heard Kassandra gasp. "Annabeth what...what happened?"

"Shush!" Ava hushed her. Annabeth felt her cheeks pink, she had forgotten about the scar again. But she remembered what Sally had said, and she realized it was an opportunity. 

"About a year ago, I was in a bad accident. It was just after school got out last year. Percy and I...we were on a hiking trip, and we were alone...miles from anywhere. I slipped off a ledge and I got cut badly and broke my ankle." Annabeth was editing quickly, but she found that she could create something mortals would understand fairly simply. 

"My God," Ava said. "What happened?"

"Percy got me out. He climbed down the ledge and got me out. He let me lean on him. He carried me when I couldn't go any further, he cleaned my wounds. And he was there for me. Till we got help." She turned to Ava and Kassandra. "You wanted to know how I knew? That was when I knew. No matter how far I fall, he's always there with me."

Ava and Kassandra looked at her with something like awe. They both looked like they were going to cry. And then they came and hugged her. "Oh, sweetie," Ava said. "You've never said anything."

Annabeth shrugged. "It's...not a good memory. Except for Percy. Like I said. He's always there for me…even when…" a thought struck her. "Okay look, Google my name."

Even Kirsten looked up at this. "What?" 

"Just...Google it."

Kirsten pulled out her phone and typed. A moment or two later, she furrowed her brow and said, "What the holy fuck is this?"

"What?" Ava and Kassandra asked at the same time.

"In addition to Percy Jackson, the unknown kidnapper also took two other adolescents, Grover Underwood, age unknown, and Annabeth Chase, age 13."

"Kidnapper!?" Kassandra exclaimed.

"Whoa, start at the beginning." Ava ordered.

And she did. Annabeth listened as Kirsten read the news report from after Percy's battle with Ares on the beach in California. When she finished, they turned to Annabeth.

"When I was a kid, I didn't always get along with my stepmom...I...I ran away. At first I was with Grover, and this other girl, Thalia. And then…" Annabeth paused editing the story together. "There was this guy. I never even knew his name. He took us.Grabbed us off the street. And Percy he...he hadn't run away, he was just hiding from his old stepdad. All that stuff in the article about his stepdad...lies. Percy was screwing with him by mentioning his store. Anyway, Percy saw us being grabbed by this guy and tried to interfere. So the guy took him too. And he took us across the country. Percy kept trying to get us away. He probably could have done it by himself, but he wouldn't leave us behind. He barely knew us then, but he wouldn't go. And then he saw his chance on the beach and he took it." Annabeth shrugged. 

"What the fuck." Kirsten said. "No wonder you have nightmares." 

Annabeth winced. "Yeah...sorry about that."

"Did he...the guy...did he…" Kassandra looked green. 

"No, thank everything holy." Annabeth said, knowing what she was getting at. "They still don't know why he took us. But it wasn't for that."

"Oh, thank God," Kassandra said. "But still, you must have been scared shitless."

"I was, a lot of the time. But Percy never let us give up hope. Percy... always believes he can make things turn out okay. I'm a planner, but Percy is impulsive and sometimes that infuriates me, but a lot of the time...it's saved my hide."

Annabeth took the dress back off and hung it on the hanger. She stroked the fabric. "So, yeah. I guess that's your answer. He's my best friend, and I don't want to be without him."

"Wow, that's…" Ava shook her head. "I had no idea."

"I remember the arch thing. I think I saw it on TV...I can't believe that was you."

"Percy, but yeah."

"What happened to Grover?"

"Oh, we're all still friends..Grover, he's older. He got a job at an environmental company in Arizona right now. He and Percy talk all the time." Not strictly true, but close enough. 

"Wow...just...wow..I feel like I need some of Libby's Captain now." Kassandra sat down on the bed again. 

"No shit." Kirsten agreed. "Annabeth, you are badass."

"No kidding," Ava agreed. "And Percy sounds incredible. I can't wait to meet him."

Annabeth realized that she was going to have to explain this elaborate fictionalized account of their adventures to Percy so they would have their stories straight. "I want you to meet him too."

"I mean, we've seen him. But none of us have actually talked to him really."

"First I have to get through his prom," Annabeth said. 

"You'll be fine." Kirsten waved her hand. "When are you having your hair done?"

"Ummm." Annabeth hesitated. She wasn’t quite sure what Aphroditie’s compact was going to do. Just her makeup? Her hair? She didn’t know. Then again, if the compact worked anything like the blessing that Aphrodite gave her kids when she claimed them, the results ought to be spectacular.

"You don't have an appointment?" Ava gasped. 

"I...uh. I was going to…”

“Oh, no no no,” Ava said. “This will not do. I can call my mother’s stylist in the morning, we can get you in.”

Annabeth was vaguely aware that Ava’s family had money. Serious money. Like, Rachel Elizabeth Dare money. She had no doubt that Ava could make things happen. 

“No, Ava, it’s fine,” Annabeth said. “I’m going to be fine. I have a plan,” she said. “Just, trust me.”

“Are you sure?” she asked, skeptically.

“Yes.”

Ava didn’t look convinced. “Well, if you’re sure.” She paused. “But how about for our prom? Does everyone have their appointments yet?”

Kassandra shook her head, and Kiristen wasn’t paying attention. “Well, then we’ll go together, it will be more fun that way. I’ll set it up through mom.” And she nodded as if that settled the question.


	17. 17: Percy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone! Sorry for the long delay! Some more new chapters coming soon!
> 
> The goal is to get them through graduation, so the proms won't be the only thing you get to take a peak at! 
> 
> Also, I'm going to update the warnings and descriptions as we go, as well. I promise this is mostly tooth rotting fluff, but Percy and Annabeth are also dealing with real trauma from their experiences as well. And real life for a lot of mortals is pretty messy too.

Saturday morning, Percy finally gave into his mom’s pestering and got a haircut, and then he went to the florists to pick up the flowers. He had to admit, they looked pretty in their little box. And then, when he got back to the apartment around lunchtime, there wasn’t much left to do. He sat at the table in the kitchen, eating a sandwich. Paul was grading papers across the table, and his mom was doing some dishes. Estelle was napping.

_ No time like the present, _ he thought. “Hey, um, Mom, Dad? Can we talk about something?”

Paul looked up from his grading, and his mom turned from the sink. “What is it, Percy dear?”

“I...well, I’ve been thinking, and well…” he reached into his pocket and pulled out the ring Amphitrite had given him and placed it on the table. “I’ve been thinking of asking Annabeth to marry me. Like, all officially.”

His mother drew in a sharp breath. Paul sort of blinked, and looked at the ring. 

“I mean,” Percy began, aware that he was probably going to babble. “We don’t have to get married right away...but we all know that it’s going to happen at some point, so I was thinking why not just make it official?”

“Percy,” his mother said softly. He looked up at her, and she had tears in her eyes. "Oh, Percy." She crossed the room and hugged him around the neck, burying her head on his shoulder. Paul picked up the ring. 

"This is gorgeous, Percy. Where on Earth did you find it?"

"Amphritie gave it to me. She made it from things found in the sea. She and her sisters...it's kind of a hobby for them, making jewelry."

His mom looked at the ring. "It's perfect for Annabeth. I love the pearls. They remind me of Annabeth's eyes."

"Yeah, I liked the color, too." Percy said. 

"So when are you planning on asking her?" Paul asked.

Percy bit his lip. "I'm honestly not sure. I’m...not very good at planning things. I’m kind of hoping I’ll know when the moment comes."

"I'm sure whenever you do, it will be memorable to Annabeth." His mom cast a sappy glance at Paul, who grinned back at her. She held out her hand, and Paul handed the ring to his mom, who examined it closely. "Is the band made from seashell?" she asked.

"Cross section of a snail shell, according to Amphtritie. It's pretty impressive."

"Will it fit Annabeth?" she asked. Ever the practical one.

"Amphtritie says she can size it. I don't know how. When I asked she laughed and reminded me she's a goddess."

His mom nodded. "Well, Percy, I don't know that this is the life I would have chosen for you, but it is the one you have, and you seem to have made it work for you. You and Annabeth both. And you know how I feel about Annabeth. I love her as if she were my own and nothing would make me happier than if she'll take you."

"Hey, now," Percy objected to this gentle ribbing. "I'm a pretty good guy."

His mom smiled at him through her moist eyes. "That's true. But I am told, and I have it on good authority, that you drool when you sleep."

Percy laughed and hugged his mom. Paul hugged both of them, and Percy most definitely did not have to discreetly wipe his eye on the corner of his shirt. Most definitely not. He cleared his throat. "Um. There's one other thing I gotta do. If I can."

"What's that?" his mom asked. 

"Can I use the phone to try and make a long distance call?" he asked. "I don't know if it will go through, but I at least have to try."

Sally nodded. 

"I've got your blessing, and Dad's and even Annabeth's mom, in a roundabout way. It's only fair."

"Of course, dear."

Percy checked the clock. It was a bit after one, so that would make it just after ten in California. The number was still on the list of "important numbers" his Mom kept on the wall by the phone. He took a deep breath, and dialed.

It rang, and someone answered the phone. Percy wasn’t sure if it was Matthew or Bobby, so all he said was, “Is Dr. Chase there?”

“Just a sec,” Matthew or Bobby said, and then hollering. “Dad! Dad! The phone’s for you!”

The line was staticy, and the voices were fuzzy, but the line was intelligible at least. Percy waited a moment. 

“Hello?” Dr. Chase came on the line. “Yes, hello, who is this?”

Percy felt his heart thump in his chest as he spoke, “Hello, Dr. Chase? It’s Percy Jackson.”

“Percy!” Dr. Chase exclaimed, sounding pleased. Then immediately concerned. “Is everything all right?”

“Yes, sir, everything is fine here,” he rushed to assure him. “Annabeth’s fine, everyone’s fine.”

“Oh, good. That’s good.” He laughed a little with relief. There was a burst of static on the line. “Hello? You still there? Bad connection today.”

“I’m still here,” Percy assured him. “I was actually hoping that I could talk to you about Annabeth, though.”

“Oh?” and now he sounded curious, and perhaps a bit wary. 

Percy took a deep breath. “Dr. Chase, you know I love Annabeth. You know I would do anything for her. So, I guess, what I’m saying...I mean, we’re not...not right away, but I want…” Percy took a deep breath.  _ Here goes _ , he thought, taking the plunge. “Dr. Chase, I would like to ask Annabeth to marry me.”

There was a silence on the other end of the line, but Percy thought he’d heard a long sigh. “Sir?”

“Someday, Percy, maybe you’ll have a daughter, and you’ll understand what that question will do to you,” Dr. Chase said. 

“Yes, sir,” Percy said.

“Percy,” Dr. Chase said after another pause. “You don’t need my blessing, because I’m sure Annabeth will do what she wants regardless. She always has.” Percy detected a note of sadness and regret in his voice. “But...you don’t know how much it means to me to have you ask. And yes, Percy. If there is any man on this planet who is a match for my Annabeth, it’s you. So if it’s what you both want, then yes. You have my blessing.”

Damnit, he was  _ not _ crying.  _ Again _ . “Thank you, Dr. Chase.”

“Do you know when you’re going to ask her?” he asked.

“Well,” Percy said. “I’m not exactly good at planning, Dr. Chase. That’s Annabeth’s job, so I’m hoping that the right moment will come to me. That’s kind of how I operate,” he admitted.

Dr. Chase chuckled over the line, or it might have been static, Percy wasn’t sure. “I’m sure whatever you decide, Annabeth will appreciate it. You two will call me?” 

“Of course,” Percy promised. “Thank you, Dr. Chase.”

“Don’t thank me, Percy. If it weren’t for you...well,” he said, and Percy knew he was thinking about the time Annabeth had been trapped by Atlas, and last summer. “You just keep her safe.”

“I promise that, Dr. Chase,” Percy said. “With my last breath, if necessary.”

“Let’s hope it doesn’t ever come to that,” Dr. Chase said, not taking Percy’s promise for hyperbole at all. 

“The gods willing,” Percy said. “And we’ll be out on the West Coast soon. We’ll be able to see you a bit more often.”

“Yes,” Dr. Chase said, voice perking up. It was clear he was excited by the prospect of seeing his daughter more frequently. “New Rome is practically right around the corner.” An enormous burst of static came across the line, and for a moment Percy thought they had been disconnected. “...still there?”

“Yes,” Percy said, raising his voice. “The line is very bad,” he said.

“Yes...I hope we’ll talk again soon,” Dr. Chase said. He sounded very far away. 

“Yes! Thank you, again, Dr. Chase.”

“Take...Percy,” he said, breaking up.

“You too!” Percy shouted into the phone, and then there was dial tone as they were disconnected. Percy carefully hung the phone back on the wall. Paul put a hand on his shoulder. Percy jumped a little, startled, but relaxed.

"Sorry," Paul said immediately. "I didn't mean...I just wanted to say, that was well done, Percy. I hope Estelle will find someone as kind and honorable as you someday."

“Thanks, Dad,” Percy said. “That means a lot.”

“So, all your boxes are checked,” Paul said. “Does that mean tonight’s the night?” he asked.

Percy shook his head. “I have no idea,” he admitted. “It might be. If the moment presents itself. I’m terrible at planning things.”

Paul chuckled. “Well, at least you’ve got time,” he said. “It’s not as if she’s telling you to put up or walk,” he added.

“No,” Percy said with a grin. “I don’t think we’ve reached that stage of our relationship yet. Probably wouldn’t for at least several more years. She might start getting antsy about it if we got to the end of college, but we’re not going to get that stage. I want to try and do it sometime before we leave for California. Either now, or at camp this summer,” Percy said. “That’s about as close to a plan as I can get.”

Paul cocked an eyebrow at him. “Before you leave, hm?” he studied Percy for a moment. “You’re not thinking about convincing her to move in together at school are you?”

_ Urp.  _ “I...um,” Percy stammered.

Paul laughed, and patted him on the back. “Never mind,” Paul said. “I’ll stop.”

Percy smiled weakly at him. 

“Go start getting ready for Prom,” Paul ordered. He studied Percy critically for a moment. “Probably want to get a shave,” he said. “You’re starting to look a little patchy.”

Percy tried to catch a look at himself in the reflection off the microwave door, and sighed. It was so not fair his facial hair was such a mess. He blamed Mom. “Right,” he said. And he turned down the hall to take a quick shower before he shaved. 


	18. 18: Annabeth

Annabeth stood in the Starbucks bathroom at the mirror. She’d showered, and dressed in a button up shirt and slacks before coming here. And now she was holding Aphrodite's compact in her hand. The Goddess said that she would get two uses out of it, and hinted that the second should be her wedding day. She had no idea what this would do. Would it be too much? Would Percy be intimidated…?

She took a deep breath, and opened the compact. There was a pink tinged flash of light, and the scent of roses in the air. Annabeth blinked from the light. She was still holding the compact, but it was now closed. She looked in the mirror. She gasped.

Her hair was done in an up style, artistically pinned up with combs that dangled with rhinestones and matched the circlet that went with the dress. Her makeup was perfect; that’s the only way she could describe it. She’d never liked wearing a lot, but this was exactly the right touch, just enough to accentuate her best features. Earrings and a necklace that matched her hair decorations and complimented her dress had appeared. She looked at herself in the mirror. Annabeth had never been a girly-girl, hadn’t ever had the time. She’d always been a little jealous of girls who had made looking gorgeous look so easy, like Piper. This was how she’d always thought she could look, if only she’d had the time or skills to do so. She’d always been afraid of make-up, afraid she’d look like a painted up clown. But this just...worked.

Writing appeared on the mirror, as if written in lipstick.  _ You have to feel beautiful to be beautiful. Have fun, darling! _ A smile quirked her lips. “Thank you, Lady Aphrodite,” she whispered aloud, as the writing began to fade. She would remember to burn a generous offering to Piper’s mom later on. She might ask Percy’s mom to help her with some cookies. If her mom liked them, and Percy’s dad, then they would probably work for Aphrodite, too.  _ Sally Jackson, baker to the Olympains _ . The thought made her grin, and it made her reflection that much more beautiful.

She left the restroom. She had to get back to the dorm to put on her dress. She had deliberately left school before using Aphrodite’s gift, because she hadn’t wanted her friends to observe her instantaneous transformation. It would be hard to explain, and she hadn’t wanted them to think that she could do anything like this herself. So she’d left, claiming to have an appointment and then went and hung out in Starbucks for an hour. 

She got some looks as she walked back to the dorm, but it wasn’t far. Kirsten wasn’t in the room when she got back, but she had promised to be around to make sure Annabeth was all set before she left. Annabeth quickly changed out of her shirt and slacks. She shimmied into her nylons, which she normally avoided at all costs. Then she pulled out something from her drawer that Piper had given her before she’d left last summer. It was a knife sheath, meant to be worn on the thigh. Her dress would cover it, but the slit left it accessible. Piper had told her that she’d had a feeling it might come in handy someday, and of course, she’d been right. She strapped it on, and tucked her dagger into it. Now she wouldn’t have to try and carry a purse big enough to hold it. 

She stepped into the dress, pulling it up over her. She had just finished settling the strap behind her neck when Kirsten arrived, with Kassandra in tow just then. “Holy…” Kirsten said when she saw her.

“Annabeth, is that you?” Kassandra asked, eyes wide. 

“Better be me,” she grumbled. 

“You look amazing,” Kirsten said. “Whoever did your hair and makeup, you look perfect.”

“Incredible,” Kassandra agreed. “Percy’s eyes are going to pop.” 

Annabeth tried to get a good look at herself in the mirror on the wall, but it was too small for much. She sat down on the bed and pulled on her heels. 

“When is Percy picking you up?” Kirsten asked.

Annabeth glanced at the bedside clock. “In about 15 minutes, if he’s on time.” She stood up and crossed to her desk, heels clicking on the tile floor. She picked up her clutch purse and checked inside. ID, some cash, lip gloss, some breath mints and her next-to-useless cell phone.

She closed the purse and turned to her friends. “Well?” 

“You’re ready,” Kirsten said. “I was fully prepared to have to redo your makeup, but wherever you went, they got it perfect.”

“You look like a goddess,” Kassandra agreed.

Annabeth had to bite the inside of her cheek to keep from laughing out loud.  _ No, not quite,  _ she thought. “Thank you,” she said instead. “I feel good. Except for these shoes. I’m not used to heels.”

“I doubt you’ll wear them long, once the dancing gets started anyway,” Kassandra said. “Though they do look good on you.”

The dorm room phone rang. “He must be early,” Annabeth said, grabbing it. 

“Annabeth Chase, please,” the security guard said.

“Speaking.”

“Your ride is here,” he said, and hung up.

“Well,” she said to Kassanda and Kirsten. “Showtime.”

They left the room and headed for the lobby. Ava met them in the hallway and joined the procession down the stairs.

As Annabeth came down the stairs into the lobby, she spotted Percy standing there across the room. He was wearing his tux, holding the box with her corsage. His mom had already pinned his boutonniere on his jacket, at least it was probably his mom. Maybe Paul did it. He looked devastatingly handsome in his jacket, with the blue vest and bow tie to match her dress. At least one of the girls behind her gave an audible sigh when he came into view, but Percy only had eyes for her. She crossed the room toward him, taking in his freshly trimmed hair, his scrubbed hands and face. He was clean shaven. He was not blessed with his father’s beard, and every effort he’d made toward facial hair had only succeeded in coming in patchy and scruffy. But he’d done a good job tonight. He smelled faintly of the sea, and she knew that it was the cologne that she had bought him as a Christmas gift, somewhat selfishly, since it was scent she adored. 

“Wow,” he stammered. “Wise Girl, you look...amazing.” He reached out his hand toward her. His eyes were wide, but he was smiling. 

“You don’t look so bad yourself, Seaweed Brain,” Annabeth said, with what she was sure was a matching grin. She held his hand for a moment then let go. She adjusted the lapels of his suit, and leaned in and kissed him gently on the lips. “You clean up good.” 

“Awww!” Kassanda and Ava exclaimed. 

“You guys are so cute it’s disgusting,” Kirsten said. Annabeth rolled her eyes.

“You must be Percy," Ava said.

“Hey,” Percy looked around, as if noticing her friends for the first time. “Yeah, I’m Percy. At least, I hope so, otherwise, my girlfriend just kissed the wrong guy.”

Annabeth punched him in the shoulder and turned toward her friends. “Okay you guys, you can go now,” Annabeth told them, turning and making a little shoo-ing motion with her hands. “You can interrogate him next week at our own prom.”

“Pictures!” Ava exclaimed.

“You are such a mom,” Kirsten muttered under her breath. 

“Fine,” Annabeth allowed. “But not many, the car is probably parked illegally.” Annabeth took the box with her wristlet and opened it. Percy took the flowers out of the box and helped her put the flowers on. His fingertips brushed her, and she felt herself shiver at his touch. “These are pretty,'' she said.

“Thanks. I wish I could say I picked them out myself, but my mom just gave me a script to read at the florist, and I followed it,” he said with a grin. Her friends laughed, and Annabeth couldn’t help but giggle a little herself. 

They posed, smiling for her friends, who wished them well, and sent them on their way. There was a town car waiting outside on the street, and Percy held the door for her as she climbed in. 

“You really do look great,” Percy told her as he got in the car. “I mean...really really great. I love the dress.”

“Thanks,” she said, feeling a bit shy, which was ridiculous. She and Percy had been dating for almost two years. They’d seen each other at their very worst in Tartarus. They’d slept in the same bed on several occasions, whether out of necessity, or because they’d had nightmares at camp before coming home for the school year. And yet, here she was, feeling her stomach flutter with butterflies. “Are we doing pictures for your mom?”

“Yeah,” he said. “At Battery Park...if that’s okay? Mom and Paul are meeting us there.”

“Sounds lovely,” she said. “Down by the water, then?” she grinned at him.

He blushed. “Yeah. I think..Amphitrite might be there, too. She said she wanted to see your dress.” 

She chuckled. “Do you really like it?” she asked him.

“I love it!” he said enthusiastically. He put his hand on her thigh. “You're gorgeous, it’s beautiful..um..Annabeth?” he traced the outline of her knife sheath.

She hiked the dress slit up slightly to expose the knife strapped to her leg. 

Percy’s eyebrows shot up but then he shrugged. “Practical, too. I’m glad we’re on the same page.” He dipped his hand in his pocket and brought out Riptide. “Just another reason why I love you, Wise Girl.” He leaned over to kiss her. “You’re going to make me regret not getting that hotel room,” he whispered in her ear. Annabeth felt her body temperature rise a few notches. 

“Enough of that, Seaweed Brain,” she said, gently pushing him away. He grinned, but he desisted from feeling up her leg. "Hey, what are they feeding us at this shindig anyway?" she asked.

Percy shrugged. "Food, I hope, I'm starving."

"So what else is new?" She rolled her eyes. “I swear, Percy Jackson, all you think about is food.”

“Not true!” he protested. “A lot of the time, I think about you.’

Annabeth felt herself just melt. From someone else, it might have come across as a cheesy line, but this was Percy, who almost never thought before he spoke, he just spit out the first truism that came to his brain. Percy couldn’t con, he couldn’t flirt, he couldn’t lie for anything. His brain just simply moved too fast to permit these kinds of thinking activities. She leaned into him. “I love you, Percy,” she sighed. 

He put his arm around her, careful not to muss her hair. “I love you, too, Annabeth.”


	19. 19: Percy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, there's a thing I discovered. I'm going to blame Uncle Rick. I've been working backwards from Blood of Olympus for all my dates and timings, because at the end, in Chapter LVI, the conversation Annabeth and Percy has clearly indicates they are headed into their senior year. ("We're going to spend our senior year together," Annabeth explained, "here in New York. And after graduation-") So, I've been working backwards from the end of BOO for timing purposes. HOWEVER, my darling wife pointed out to me last night, that in The Last Olympian (the year before BOO, by any reckoning, since Annabeth tells Piper that she and Percy have only been together since August, not, say, a year and half), Percy says he's going into his sophomore year. Whoops. So, Uncle Rick seems to have dropped a year somewhere. 
> 
> Rather than try and figure it out, I'm just going to roll with it. It bugs me, because as a fic writer, I try to keep as true to the details of the canon as I can. On the other hand, since Uncle Rick has dropped a year, I guess I can too.

Picture taking at the Battery was about as awkward as Percy had feared it would be, though he was sure his mom got some nice pictures of the two of them standing in front of the harbor. They had just gotten started, when three women climbed up one of the ladders attached to the sea wall. No one seemed to notice them, and in fact Paul didn’t even notice them until they were standing next to him. They were dressed in sundresses, which again, no one found at all strange that they’d climbed out of the water fully dressed, and dry to boot.

Percy handled the introductions. There was a little awkward moment when Percy introduced her to his mom. Mom bobbed a hesitant little bow, and Amphitrite studied her for an extra moment, then the Queen shrugged and shook her head. 

“When I wed, I never expected my husband would remain faithful.” And that was all that was said on the subject. 

Paul had been about to leave to head uptown when Amphitrite arrived, but he stayed an extra moment to make sure Sally was ok. She sent him off with a shoo-ing motion, telling him not to make himself late.

Amphitrite’s two companions proved to be her sisters Eulimene, and Neso. Eulimene was the Neriad of good harbors, and Neso was the Neriad of islands, which explained both their presence in New York. 

“I am honored to see you again, Lady Amphitrite,” Annabeth said. 

“You are a beautiful young woman, daughter of Athena,” Amphitrite told her. “Strong, and a worthy partner for Perseus.”

“Thank you,” Annabeth said. 

Sally made Annabeth and Percy pose for more pictures, some including Percy’s step-mom, which Sally made him promise to make sure copies were delivered to his dad’s palace. They were finally allowed to retreat to the town car, and once safely inside, Percy blew out a long breath. “Gods, that was awkward.”

“Did you at least warn your mother beforehand that she might show up?” Annabeth asked. 

“Um. Sort of. I told her I didn’t really think she’d be there, but I did mention it. I don’t think mom really believed it either,” Percy said. “So, yes, she was sort of warned.”

“Well, I guess you’re not a total idiot then,” Annabeth said, but her tone was teasing, taking the sting out of the insult. She took his hand and intertwined her fingers in his. “That aside, it was nice to see Amphitrite again.”

“I think she likes you,” Percy told her.

“Oh?” she asked. “What makes you say that?”

Percy shrugged “Just things that she’s mentioned.” He realized he couldn’t go into too much detail without revealing his secret. The ring rested in his pocket. He didn’t know if tonight would be the night or not, to be honest, but he wanted to be prepared. He tended to work best when he was improvising, so he supposed if the moment came, he would know it. 

“So, here’s a question for you,” she said.

“Mmm?” Percy looked at her.

“Do you even know how to dance?” 

“I’ve been having Leo give me lessons,” Percy said, trying to hold a straight face. He’d been waiting for Annabeth to pull that one out since he’d first asked her to prom, holding this response in reserve. The horrified look on her face was all he’d expected it to be.

“I think I want to go home now,” Annabeth said, she leaned forward toward the driver. Percy burst out laughing. 

“Oh my gods, the look on your face! I was kidding!”

Annabeth looked like a cross between relieved and furious with him. She opened her mouth once or twice like she looked as if she was trying to decide what to say, and then just sighed and shook her head. “Just for that, I’m making you dance with me to every slow song.”

Percy furrowed his brows. “Wasn’t that the idea?” he said. “I mean, you make that sound like a punishment. I want to dance with you.”

Annabeth blushed, which was always adorable, like maybe she had thought he wouldn’t want to dance the slow dances. Honestly, there wasn’t anything he was looking forward to more. Well, except dinner. “I guess it’s a win-win, then,” she said.

“I guess so,” Percy said. They braced themselves against the seats as the car stopped short for a messenger bike that cut across the traffic lanes. Their driver blared the horn and muttered curses in...Spanish? Portuguese? Percy wasn’t sure. Maybe Portuguese. It didn’t sound quite like Leo’s cursing.

“Sometimes I hate New York,” Percy said.

“Agreed,” Annabeth said. “But other times I’ve come to like it. I spent so much time on the run, and then year-round at camp. And then out West with my dad...it’s remarkable how quickly it came to feel like home.” She smiled at him. “But I think that’s mostly because you’re here.” 

Percy felt his insides flutter a bit as he looked back at those grey eyes that always seemed to see right through him. “Thanks,” he said, smiling back at her. “I love you, too.”

“And your Mom, of course. I don’t know how I would have survived without her while you were gone.”

Percy’s mood darkened, but he refrained from commenting on his disappearance. He was working hard to get back into Hera’s good graces, it would not do to start cursing her again. “At least you had each other,” he said. They brooded silently for a few moments. 

“Sir, what time do you want me to pick you up?” the driver asked.

“Um,” Percy looked at Annabeth. “Dance gets done at 11, supposedly. You want to stay till the end?”

“Might as well,” she said. 

“11,” Percy told the driver. The driver handed Percy a business card over his shoulder.

“Call the number if you need me earlier. We’re almost there, and I don’t think I’m going to be able park for long out front. You’ll have to get out quickly,” he said.

“Okay, thank you,” Percy said, taking the card and slipping it into the pocket of his tuxedo.

The car pulled up to the crowded curb, and Percy and Annabeth got out. Percy ran around the car, and offered Annabeth his arm. There were dozens of well dressed teenagers being dropped off and heading into the hotel, along with at least an equal number of helicopter parents with phones and video cameras, trying to get past the rent-a-cop and the staff members who were checking student ids and visitor registrations. One of those staff members was Paul, naturally. He had warned Percy that he always helped out with prom, but had made a deal this year to work the check-in desk, rather than chaperoning, out of respect for Percy. 

“Hey,” Percy said, holding out his ID. 

“Hi Percy, Annabeth, fancy seeing you here.”

“Funny how that works,” Annabeth said.

“You do look lovely, Annabeth,” Paul told her. 

“Thanks, Mr. Blofis,” she said, out of respect for their surroundings. 

He grinned at her, handing Percy’s ID back. “Have a great time, you two.”

They entered the ball room. The lights were still on, and there was an appetizer buffet in one corner of the room. Percy glanced around the room and spied Josh waving. “Percy! Over here!”

Percy guided Annabeth to where the swim team seniors had staked out a table. Josh and Darah were there, along with San, Emma, Kamal, Gianna, and Yose. 

“Hey guys,” Percy said.

“Heeyyyy,” some of them chorused. Percy fist bumped Josh. He looked good in his tux, despite the pale pink vest. 

“Guys, this is Annabeth, my girlfriend,” Percy said. “She goes to the Forester School across town. Annabeth, this is Josh, Darah, San, Emma, Kamal, Gianna and Yose. Josh and Darah are here together, so are Gianna and Yose. The rest, well, they’re single and ready to mingle.” He grinned at the running joke. 

They all looked a little shell shocked as they took in Annabeth, and Percy had to admit, she looked like a million drachmas tonight. Annabeth had told him about Aphrodite’s gift, and man, the love goddess knew what she was about. 

“Shit, man,” Kamal said, still with the faintest trace of his parent’s British accent on his voice, “I didn’t think she was real.” 

There was a brief awkward silence before Yose began to laugh uproariously. “Are you kidding?” she said. “Cabrón, she was at, like, every swim meet with Percy’s mom. You didn’t notice her before? You got eyes in that thick head of yours, bruto?”

“I didn’t know she was his girlfriend,” Kamal tried to defend himself. “How was I supposed to know?”

“Well, it would have been nice if he’d introduced her before this,” Yose said. “What you got to say for yourself, chacho?” Yose asked.

Percy shrugged. “Um...I plead the fifth,” he said. “Annabeth, you want some food, or something? I’ll go get us a plate from the buffet.” He held out a chair for Annabeth so she could sit. Her eyes were dancing with amusement at Percy’s discomfort.

“Oh no, you don’t,” Darah said. “You’re not getting away that easily, Jackson. Sit and explain to us why you have a gorgeous girlfriend and didn’t tell any of us.”

“It was never a secret I had a girlfriend,” Percy said. “I told you guys I was going to see her often enough.”

“Some of us,” Gianna said, glaring pointedly at Kamal, “Apparently thought you were making her up.”

“So where did you and Percy meet?” Emma asked. 

“We met at summer camp, when we were kids,” Annabeth said. “It feels like we’ve known each other forever,” she turned and smiled at him, and he smiled back, taking her hand.

“¡Ay bendito!,” Yose said. “They’re one of  _ those _ couples.” She muttered further in Spanish, and Gianna patted her on the back.

“I think it’s sweet,” she said. 

“How long have you been together?” Darah asked.

“Almost two years,” Percy admitted.

“Feels like longer,” Annabeth added. They glanced at each other with irony. Given that Percy had been missing for nearly 6 months of that time, it should have felt shorter. 

“That’s so cute,” Emma said. “Isn’t that cute?” she turned to San, who thus far had remained head down in his phone. 

“What? Oh, sure.” 

Emma rolled her eyes at him. “You make me sound like a teacher,” she said, “but put that thing away and join the conversation.” 

San looked abashed and shoved his phone in his jacket pocket.

“Can I go get food yet?” Percy asked. “I’m hungry.” He may have been whining. 

“Go, Seaweed Brain,” Annabeth told him. “Bring me back a drink, and something I’ll like.”

“You got it, Wise Girl,” he said, and he made his escape to the buffet table.


	20. 20: Annabeth

Percy left, and then Darah turned to Josh, Kamal and San. “Why don’t you guys get us some food as well,” she said. They shrugged and followed Percy. Annabeth realized that she was about to be interrogated. 

She had a moment to study Percy’s friends before the questions started. They were an eclectic group. San was super tall, she noted, as he had stood up. Josh was cute in a nerdy-athlete kind of way. Kamal was as dark as anyone she’d ever met before, and his accent was interesting. The girls were equally intriguing. Emma was taller than her, maybe taller than Percy, but graceful looking. She had brown, curly hair, and was wearing a silver dress that reminded her of the Hunters, if the Hunters ever wore sequins. Darah was a strawberry blonde, not quite like Rachel, but close. She was shorter than Annabeth but had powerful looking arms. She remembered from going to Percy’s swim meets that Darah was the team’s long distance swimmer. Her dress was a very pale pink with spaghetti straps, and was long, like Annabeth’s. Yose had caramel skin, lighter than Hazel, but darker than Leo. Her hair was done in an upstyle tonight as well, but Annabeth remembered from the meets that it was straight. She wore a short, black dress that was classic in its simplicity. Her girlfriend Gianna was quite a contrast, with pale skin and hair as blonde as Annabeth’s. It was short and spiked, almost like Thalia’s but shorter. Her dress was royal purple, and strapless. 

“There must be a story behind those names,” Yose said. 

“Oh, you know Percy,” Annabeth said. “He loves the ocean, and he can be pretty dense sometimes.”

“Yeah, that sounds like Percy,” Gianna agreed. “Not always the fastest on the uptake, our Percy.”

“Two years, that’s a long time,” Darah said. “Is he a good boyfriend?”

“The best,” Annabeth said simply. “Can’t imagine life without him.”

The four girls looked at her with their eyebrows raised. “Damn,  _ chica _ , that sounds serious,” Yose said. Annabeth nodded. 

“Percy said he’s going to some school in California next year, where are you headed?” Gianna asked. 

“Oh, we’re going to the same school,” Annabeth said. “We’re going together.”

“No shit!” Yose exclaimed. 

“Woah,” Emma shook her head. “That’s...commitment. What happens if you guys break up?”

Annabeth shrugged. “I’m not worried,” she smiled. They couldn’t understand. Not really. 

“What are you going to study?” Darah asked.

“Architecture,” she said. 

“Is Percy still planning on doing Marine Bio?” Gianna asked. “He was freaky good at that in science class.”

“Oh yeah,” Annabeth said. “It’s his favorite subject.”

“We were in that class with him,” Emma said. “It was a little freaky. It was almost like the fish in the fish tanks were staring at him, and sometimes he’d start laughing, like something was funny, but he never explained what it was.”

Annabeth hadn’t heard that one before. Percy had failed to fill her in on these little details. She was definitely going to have to find out more. 

"Your dress is gorgeous, Annabeth," Darah told her. "Where did you get it?"

Annabeth told them about the bridal shop that Sally had taken her to.

"Percy's mom? Wasn't that awkward?"

"Nah," she said. "I've known Sally so long she's like a second mom to me. It's cool." Truth was, Sally was more of a mom to her than either her stepmom or Athena. 

"Must be nice," Darah said. "I don't think Josh's mom likes me. Probably because I'm not Jewish."

"I  _ know  _ Yose's mom doesn't like me," Gianna said. "She thinks I'm a bad influence on her."

"My mother thinks I should be 'normal', and date a Puerto Rican gang banger like the other girls in the neighborhood. She thinks that the fact that I'm lesbian is a phase I'm going through." Yose made a face of disgust. "Even if I was straight, I wouldn't go anywhere near those losers. I want out of the neighborhood, not to be stuck there forever, like all the  _ sata  _ baby Mamas." Annabeth made a face.

“So, wait, let me get this straight. You and Percy have known each other since you were kids. You’ve been dating almost two years. You shop with his mom. You’re going to college together,” Emma summed up. “When are you getting married?” she asked.

“No shit. You’re like, practically married already,” Yose added.

Annabeth blushed, but she grinned gamely. “Feels like it sometimes. We’ll see.”

“Hey," Percy said, kissing the top of her head and setting a plate down in front of her. "I got a little of everything. Should tide you over till they get around to serving dinner." The plate he had placed in front of her could have  _ been _ her meal, but that was Percy. And apparently, all of his friends too _ ,  _ judging by the plates the other boys brought and deposited on the table. Given the way everyone else dug in, no one was dismayed but her. _ Swimmers,  _ she thought. Massive caloric intake was part of the job description. “So what has she been saying about me behind my back?” he asked sitting down next to her. He held out his hand under the table. 

“All good things,” she promised, taking his hand and squeezing it reassuringly. 

“You got some ‘splaining to do,” Gianna said, imitating “I Love Lucy” in a cultural reference even Annabeth picked up on. “You never told us you were going to college with this girl.”

“Say what now?” Josh asked.

“These two are going to college together next year. At like, the same school and shit,” Emma replied. 

“That’s fortunate,” Kamal said. “Did you plan it that way?”

“Of course they planned it that way,” Gianna replied. “Why else would they be going out to a school so obscure, none of the rest of us have ever heard of it?” 

“Fair point,” Kamal acknowledged. 

“What are you studying?” San asked. Several of them rolled their eyes at him.

“What’s with the books, man?” Yose said. “Tonight’s not about school.”

“Architecture,” Annabeth said. “I want to build things.” 

“That’s cool,” Josh said. “Where do you think you’ll go after school?”

“We haven’t decided yet,” Annabeth said. “Maybe back east. Maybe we’ll stay out west.” She squeezed Percy’s hand and then realized the rest of the table had done a double take.

“We?” Kamal asked.

“Daaaaaaamn,” Gianna drawled. “You guys really  _ are _ serious.” 

Percy was blushing, but smiling. “I’ll go wherever,” he said. “But we’ll go together.” He squeezed her hand back. 

“So, what was Percy like as a kid?” Emma wanted to know.

“Not all that much different than he is now, really,” Annabeth said. “Just smaller. I was taller than him for a while.” She grinned.

“Thanks, Wise Girl,” Percy said. “You didn’t have to tell them that part.”

“It’s okay,” San assured him. “I was shorter than my sister in 6th grade, too. Now look.’

“Whatever, Yao Ming,” Yose said. San shrugged.

“Were you guys friends right away?” Yose asked.

“It took a little bit for us to warm up to each other,” Percy said. “I didn’t make that great an impression, anyway. My first day at camp I got cold clocked and she was on duty in the infirmary and she had to take care of me.”

“How’d you get knocked out, at a summer camp?” Darah asked.

“Doing something stupid,” Percy said. “That was kind of my thing.”

“Still is,” Annabeth said with a grin. Percy shrugged, grinning back.

“Well, at least that’s the same,” Gianna said. “Did Percy ever tell you about the time he got in trouble in English class?”

“Which time?” Annabeth asked. She saw Percy hang his head in resignation. 

“Ooooooh!” his friends all exclaimed. “Burn!”

“This was during our unit on Greek mythology,” Gianna began, and Annabeth felt her stomach lurch a little. “Our teacher, Mr. Rea, he’s a bit of a hardass, and stuck in his ways.” 

“Sounds about right for most English teachers,” Annabeth said.

The others laughed. “That’s the truth,” Josh said. 

“Anyway, Mr. Rea, he starts going on about the Greek gods, and how they’re always messing around with mortals, and how all the great heroes of Greek myth are children of gods and mortals, right?” Annabeth nodded, now really curious as to where this was going. “So, then he brings up Hercules.”

“Uh oh,” Annabeth said.

“So you know what’s coming, right?” Gianna grinned. “Mr. Rea’s all like, ‘Hercules this, and Hercules that, and Hercules did some of other heroic-ass thing,” she said. “And finally our boy pops up and says. ‘He just had a really great publicist, he wasn’t all that great.’ So Mr. Rea’s, all like ‘Perhaps you could explain yourself, Mr. Jackson.’ and Percy gets up and proceeds to give this epic takedown of why Hercules is a jerk, with examples from myths I don’t think Mr. Rea had ever even heard of. Mr. Rea finally cuts him off and threatens him with detention unless he knocks it off. So Percy finally says, ‘Fine, but if you’re looking for the greatest heroes, they’re probably the ones you’ve never heard of.’’' Gianna shook her head. “So Mr. Rea gave him detention for being a smart ass.”

“Oh, Percy,” Annabeth said, squeezing his hand. Percy didn’t say anything, he just shrugged with his eyes on his plate. She knew how much it bothered him that so many of their friends who had died would never get the credit for the things they had done. 

“It was no big deal,” Percy said. 

“So,” Annabeth said, decided to shift the subject a little. “How did you guys end up together?” she asked Gianna and Yose. Dissecting someone else’s love life might help deflect from her own.

Gianna laughed. “Well, we met on the team freshman year,” she said. “But Yose wasn’t out yet. But I had a big crush on her for the longest time.”

“It took me a while to come out,” Yose said. “All that religion they beat into me back in San Juan at the convent school.” 

“Must have taken a lot to do it,” Annabeth replied, impressed. That kind of bravery was serious stuff. It was one thing to stand up to a monster, but another entirely to stand up to family. 

Yose shrugged. “I finally got up the nerve to tell my mother, and she was all like, ‘Whatever, you’ll grow out of it.’ She didn’t even take me seriously. But then, I was doing a lot of things the family didn’t like, so I think she was burned out. I’d changed clothes, I’d gotten a whole new group of friends, all that. Back in San Juan, I was just one of the neighborhood girls. Now I was trying to get out of the neighborhood. As far as she was concerned, my mother thought I had entirely too many white friends, and not enough family loyalty.” 

“So what happened when you came out here, at school?”

“I was thrilled,” Gianna said. “Because then I asked her out.”

“Nobody cared, but in a good way,” Yose said. “Everyone was all...Oh, okay, cool. You still coming over to study? The team is my family, now, mi familia.”

“Where are you going to school?” Annabeth asked. 

“CUNY,” Yose said. “But only until I can get a scholarship to go somewhere further away from my mother.”

“Amen to that,” Emma and Gianna both said. There were murmurs of agreement from the rest. 

“Hey, they’re opening the buffet,” Josh pointed out.

“Awesome!” Percy said. Annebeth noted with dismay that she was the only one who had food left over from the hor'dourves Percy and the other boys had brought back. But she followed along anyway. Percy held her hand as they crossed the ballroom, but they got separated at the buffet table. Her side of the table ended up being slower than his, and by the time she got to the end of the line, she found Percy being hassled by a hulking kid that looked like a bad tempered son of Ares. 

“...though you said you were going to have a date, Jackson,” the walking mountain accused him. “I don’t see no date.”

“Just go away, Gage. I don’t want to talk to you. Go hang out with your own friends,” Percy was saying, trying hard to ignore the kid. “Don’t you have better things to do?”

“You think you’re all hot shit, swimmer boy,” Gage said. “You walk around like you’re so much better than the rest of us.”

“No, Gage, you’re just annoyed because I refuse to be impressed by you. I’ve dealt with bigger bullies than you,” Percy said, dismissively. “You don’t even rate on my radar.”

This seemed to infuriate Gage even more. “You little..”

“Percy, there you are,” Annabeth said, coming over with her plate. It took some juggling with her food, but she managed to lean in and kiss him on the cheek, and then loop her arm in his. “Is this another one of your...friends?” she asked, glancing at this Gage person.

Gage had sputtered to a halt, staring at Annabeth, in her dress with her Aphrodite makeup and hair. His face underwent a series of unattractive contortions, as he tried to process her presence. 

“Gage, this is my girlfriend, Annabeth. She goes to the Forester School,” Percy grinned. “We were just headed back to our table. Have fun tonight,” and he towed Annabeth away. 

Percy started chuckling as soon as they were safely out of earshot. “Thanks for that. I thought his head was going to explode.”

“Does he give you much trouble?” she asked.

“Nah. And he’s not really worth my time. He and I had a run-in in the fall, in which I refused to be impressed by him. He’s a football captain, and I was swim team captain, so we were on captains council together. I don’t even remember what the dispute was about, but I called him out on being a douchebag, and a lot of kids who would have normally given in to whatever he wanted sided with me, I was just the first one willing to call him out on his shit. He didn’t much care for that. And he’s resented it ever since,” Percy explained.

“You never told me that,” she said.

Percy shrugged. “Not important.” Annabeth shook her head. 

“Oh, Seaweed Brain. I love you,” she said with exasperation. 

“Back at ya, Wise Girl.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, just so you all know, I'm currently working on Chapter 39, so there's lots to come. Annabeth's prom, the visit to Boston (as depicted in "Ship of the Dead"), Regents exams, end of the year festivities, and of course, graduation! And surprises on the way. Here's some coming attractions!  
> **
> 
> “Fighting monsters is a turn on for you?” he smirked at her.
> 
> “Watching you fight monsters is a turn on,” she said. 
> 
> **
> 
> “Well, that’s why the Legion pays your health insurance, so you can come see me,” Berger said. 
> 
> **
> 
> “Your application for our internship program this summer was remarkable.You impressed our interview committee, but what was truly remarkable was your portfolio. The selection committee has rarely seen anything like it. They sent it directly to me for review. That’s why I decided to come myself. I wanted to meet you.”
> 
> “Thank you,” Annabeth said faintly. 
> 
> **
> 
> “Your brother loves water. I can’t wait to take you to the beach this summer,” he said. “You’re going to love it. Do you want to ride a dolphin? I bet you do.”
> 
> **
> 
> “I’m going to graduate in the Top 10, and the Top 10 graduates have to go to a special dinner. We’re supposed to invite our families, and my Dad is already coming out for graduation, so he’s probably not going to come out a second time. Would you guys like to come with me?”
> 
> **
> 
> “Percy and I…” Annabeth said. “It’s complicated.”
> 
> “When is it not complicated with you two?” Kirsten said. 
> 
> **
> 
> “I feel like we already know you,” Kirsten said to Percy. “Annabeth has told us a lot about you.”
> 
> “Most of it lies, I’m sure,” Percy deadpanned.
> 
> **
> 
> “Doesn’t matter to them,” Annabeth said. “Let’s put it this way, I probably wouldn’t leave you alone with one of them even if we were safely married.”
> 
> “Well, I like the sound of that part,” Percy said with a grin. “Are you suggested we do something about that?” 
> 
> **
> 
> “Girl, I’m not the one who just kicked up the rating on prom from PG to PG-13,” Kisten said. 
> 
> **
> 
> His geysers shot skyward in one enormous blast of joy, sending a fine mist settling down over the pond, and everything around it as he held her. It had the benefit of hiding her tears. Maybe his too.
> 
> **
> 
> “Um,” he paused. “Over easy is fine, thanks Mom. You didn’t have to cook, I could have made my own.”
> 
> “You’re sweet,” she said, handing him a plate with bacon on it. “But I don’t want to have to buy a new frying pan again.”
> 
> **
> 
> “Hi Percy,” she said. “Can we talk for a minute?” 
> 
> Percy threw a glance at Mr. Adams that he had hoped would have been along the lines of “save me, say no,” but Mr. Adams made a little wave with his hand, and went back to the class. 
> 
> **
> 
> They emerged into moving traffic somewhere on the other side of Waterbury, with their relationship intact. 
> 
> **
> 
> “Thank the gods,” he breathed. “I was beginning to think we’d never find this place. We’ve only been here for, like, 40 minutes, and I’ve gotten lost, and driven by Fenway Park. I hate this place already.”
> 
> **
> 
> “I’m sorry, my dyslexia must be acting up. Does that bag say Victoria’s Secret?” 
> 
> **
> 
> Mom sat down on the couch next to him and turned off the Bond movie. Percy supposed he’d never find out if James Bond could manage to escape certain death at the hands of the evil villain’s overcomplicated trap.
> 
> **
> 
> “The house, it’s a Tudor,” she said.
> 
> “Is it going to help me with the Regents?” He was confused. 
> 
> **
> 
> “You know what every teenage boy’s last words are?” Emma asked.
> 
> “Hey, y’all watch this?” Annabeth offered.
> 
> **
> 
> “If they start to rush us, break for the pool,” Percy said. “I’ll use the…” he broke off as the leader seemed to give some signal, and the remainder began to tense. 
> 
> But just as he did, there was an ear-splitting arooooooooooo and a massive black shape seemed to melt into being in the shadows of the trees at the edge of the forest. 
> 
> **
> 
> "Hey," he responded. Percy looked at him critically. "You look about how I feel."
> 
> Paul blew out a long breath. "Long week."
> 
> "Same," Percy said. "But you know what?" he asked.
> 
> "What's that?"
> 
> "I know some aliens that need some ass kicking when we get home." 
> 
> Paul grinned. "That sounds like just what the doctor ordered."
> 
> **
> 
> “Oh, there’s an extra chair,” Sally said.
> 
> Percy noted the glazed look that came over the face of their guide, as she checked her list. “No, I have everyone accounted for. Enjoy the evening!”
> 
> Percy did a quick mental count, and looked at Annabeth. “Mom,” he said. “You and Paul can sit over there. I’m going to sit here.” As far away from that seat as possible.
> 
> **
> 
> Enjoy your teasers!


	21. 21: Percy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Thanks for all the love for the previews in the previous chapter. 
> 
> Anyone have any experience with NY Regents exams? Drop me a note in comments. I have a question about it!
> 
> Also, feel free to drop me a line at theauthor@no2ticonderoga.com

Dinner wasn’t bad. The food wasn’t the greatest, but Percy had eaten far worse. Your standards changed a lot after the first few quests. 

Annabeth seemed to get along pretty well with his friends, and he regretted not introducing them sooner. There were a few awkward moments, but Annabeth had clearly put a lot of thought into some of these “cover stories” as he began to think of them. She’d made up a really good one to explain the big scar across her back that she’d picked up in Tartarus. Emma had been the first to notice it, and had hesitantly asked Annabeth about it. The story Annabeth had told had certainly made Percy out to be the hero. His friends had looked impressed at her story of him climbing down a cliff and helping her limp out of a forest. Like most of the best lies, it had elements of truth. Percy had had to do some fast thinking to elaborate some other details of the story from his perspective, but he had avoided making any fatal errors. 

After a reasonable time for dinner, the lights had dimmed and the music had started in earnest. This reduced the need for conversation, as the whole room spilled out onto the dance floor. Percy most definitely did  _ not _ know how to dance, but he gave it his best effort anyway, and Annabeth appreciated it, which made him feel less like an idiot. It also helped that all the other guys seemed to be as awkward as he was. The girls all seemed to know instinctively how to move, arms and hips swaying in time to the music, and generally looking fabulous while doing it. Annabeth shimmied up next to him, smiling at him as he tried not to step on her feet. She’d ditched the high heeled shoes shortly after the music had started, along with most of the other girls, it seemed, judging by the piles of discarded shoes that seemed to be at every table. 

“Having fun?” Annabeth asked him over the music at one point.

“Hades, yeah!” he said back, watching her gyrate her hips.  _ Gods, she’s hot,  _ he thought.  _ How did I get so lucky? _

The music changed, slowing tempo. The dance floor began to empty, leaving couples alone as the dateless, or at least the not romantically inclined, headed back to their tables for a breather. Percy held out his hand, and Annabeth took it, pulling into him, and reaching up to twine her hands behind his neck. He held her waist as she curled her head onto his chest, and he buried his face in her hair, drawing deeply on her scent, the familiar citrusy scent of the shampoo she always used. They held each other and swayed to the music.

“This is nice,” he said. She sighed against him, almost like a purr. “I love you,” he said. 

“I love you, too.” He smiled and chuckled.

She took her head off his chest, leaning back far enough to look at his face. “What?” she asked.

“Just thinking,” he said. “If someone had told me, on the first day I arrived at camp, that it would bring me here, to this moment, I probably would have thought that  _ this _ was the craziest thing I’d heard that day.”

Annabeth laughed. “And you heard some pretty crazy things that day, as I recall,” she said. “Really, dancing with me would have been crazier than Grover being a satyr? Or your dad being a Greek god?”

“Being head over heels in love with the girl who’s first words to me were “You drool in your sleep”?” Percy clarified. “Yeah, that would have been pretty crazy.”

She laughed. “I’m kinda sorry about that. If it makes you feel any better, I said it because ‘You’re cute’ would have been kinda weird to say to someone who just woke up.”

“You thought I was cute?” he asked, feeling a smile curl onto his face.

“Yeah. There were moments. When I wasn’t pissed at you for nearly getting yourself killed by the Minoutar. Or for being dense.” 

“I’m good at that,” he admitted. They swayed around the floor to the music, just kind of staring into each other’s eyes. It should have been awkward, but it wasn’t...it was amazing. 

“You really do have the most incredible eyes,” she said after a moment or two. “I never get tired of seeing them.”

Percy felt himself blush in spite of himself. “Thanks,” he said. “You’re not so bad yourself, you know.” 

“Yeah?” she said.

“Yeah.” He bent his head toward her, and she raised up on her tiptoes to kiss him. It was a relatively chaste kiss, for them, but it seemed so much more, just in that moment. Percy felt the weight of the ring he’d tucked into his jacket. This was beginning to feel like that moment. “Annabeth, I…”

“Hey, guys, come on,” Josh grabbed his arm. “There’s no line for pictures right now, and then we won’t have to worry about it later.”

“Oh, cool!” Annabeth said. “I want pictorial evidence of this make-over job. I’ll need it to show Piper later. C’mon!” she said, and tugged Percy toward the back of the ballroom where the photographer was set-up. 

“O..oh..okay,” Percy said, sighing. He followed along, moment lost. 

“We’re going to one big group shot first.” Emma had taken charge. “Then Josh and Darah, and Gianna and Yose, Percy and Annabeth.”

“What about you guys?” Darah asked “You and Kamal and San should do one the three of you. Maybe Charlie’s Angels style,” she giggled.

Which is exactly what they ended up doing, in the end. Percy thought his face would split from smiling so much, and Annabeth just looked dazed with happiness. Percy thought he knew what she was thinking. After all they’d been through, just to be here, doing something so mundane and normal as to have a blast at his senior prom...it was hard to wrap his head around. 

By the time they’d finished getting all their pictures done, the music was cranking again, and they headed back out to the dance floor. They danced their way through the Cupid Shuffle, and the Macarena, and other songs that Percy didn’t know, but was just as happy to dance, as long as Annabeth was dancing. 

At one point, Kamal grabbed his arm and pointed. “Check it out!” Percy and the others turned. There was a commotion in the corner, with teachers, and a uniformed NYPD beat cop. They seemed to be removing people from the room, and the cop was holding something in his hand. “Dude, I think Gage and his pals just got busted for smuggling booze in!” That made Percy laugh till his sides hurt. Annabeth just sort of rolled her eyes, but laughed anyway, as Gage, and several others were escorted from the ballroom, protesting and yelling the entire way. At least one girl was being mostly carried out, as she was clearly on the verge of passing out. 

“Couldn’t happen to a nicer group of people,” Percy told Annabeth. “What a bunch of morons.” 

“They couldn’t wait to get trashed till  _ after _ prom?” Yose scoffed. “Stupid is as stupid does.”

“Well, intelligence was never their strong suit,” San added. “So what do you expect?”

“They won’t let them walk at graduation,” Darah added. “Their parents are going to be  _ pissed _ .”

“They’ll find a way to wriggle out of it,” Josh scoffed. “Their type always does.”

“True,” Kamal said sadly. 

“C’mon you guys,” Annabeth scolded them all. “Don’t waste the night on those losers. Let’s have a good time!”

“Chica is right, y’all,” Yose said. “Forget those bastards.” She offered two derisive fingers in the direction of the expelled guests and deliberately turned away.

Percy was shocked at how fast the evening seemed to be going by. Looking back, it all seemed a blur. He remembered holding Annabeth’s hand and jumping up and down screaming Bon Jovi’s  _ Living on a Prayer _ . It seemed to speak to them on a personal level. He and Josh and San nearly tripped over each other, trying to do the chicken dance, which caused no end of hilarity for the girls. He would remember watching with bemusement as Annabeth, Emma and Darah all cut loose when the DJ threw on “It’s Raining Men”, while Yose and Gianna rolled their eyes and headed back to the table for a breather. 

And suddenly it was after 10, and the DJ was announcing that the photographers would be leaving, and the line for pictures was a mile long, and they were all grateful they’d done it early. And then the announcement of the winning prom song. The music started, and Percy sort of recognized it, and Annabeth groaned, but held out her hand for them, as they took the floor.

_ I could stay awake, just to hear your breathing… _

“Figures,” Annabeth said, after kissing him. They were swaying together, holding each other close. 

“What does?” he asked.

“It would be a song like this,” she said. “Ours might be the same one.”

“Yeah?” he said. 

“I think it came down to this one and the Green Day one.”

“Oh, I like that one,” Percy said. “Makes me think of Thalia. You know how she always has that Green Day button on her jacket.”

Annabeth laughed, and put her head on his chest as he held her.

Percy looked around. Josh was dancing with Darah a few feet away, and they looked pretty cozy. Percy was happy for them. Yose and Gianna were dancing together as well. San was not nearby, and Emma had apparently convinced Kamal to dance with her, at least for the dance. Percy realized he could tell at a glance those couples that were together from those that were just on a date for the dance by the space between them (or lack thereof). 

They circled the dance floor for a bit, Annabeth’s head curled on his chest, and tucked nicely under his chin. Percy listened to the lyrics. He’d heard it before, somewhere. But he liked it. He hummed along a little. Annabeth pulled away to smile up at him, and she sang along softly. “ And I just want to stay with you in this moment forever…” 

The chorus started, and suddenly it seemed like the room was singing along. Percy realized that a lot of people knew this song. It was kind of a cool moment. Percy picked up on the chorus enough that by the time the song had ended, he could sing along too. The music died away, and he kissed Annabeth. Then he took a breath.

“Annabeth, I know…”

The music started up again, a pounding beat that was sending people streaming back to the dance floor pushing past them as the B-52s began belting out  _ Love Shack _ . 

Percy sighed, as everyone screamed along.  _ Well, maybe the next try will work. _

The dance finished up at 11. “Annabeth and I are going to go find someplace to get ice cream,” Percy told his friends. “Want to come along?”

“I have to get home,” Yose said, sounding disgusted. “Mama says I have to be home by 11:30.” She rolled her eyes. 

“No thanks, man,” Kamal said. “Great time tonight though.”

“I’m going too,” San said. 

“What about you guys?” Percy asked Josh.

“We’re game,” Darah answered for him. “Emma, how about you?” 

She shook her head. “You guys go on,” she said. “My dad’s going to be here any minute to pick me up. He didn’t want me trying to get home alone tonight. Besides, if you four are going, I’d be the fifth wheel.”

Percy smiled with amusement as Annabeth hugged pretty much everyone. Josh and Darah had been dropped off, so they squeezed into Percy and Annabeth’s town car, for the ride uptown. Percy had picked out a place called Black Tap on W. 55th that was supposed to have the greatest milkshakes ever. 

“That was awesome,” Annabeth said. 

“It was pretty great,” Josh agreed. He and Percy were squeezed against the doors on either side of the backseat, with the girls sandwiched in between, or more appropriately, practically on their laps. The girls didn’t seem to mind much.

“Certainly better than the last dance we went to together,” Percy noted to Annabeth. She elbowed him in the gut.

“What happened there?” Darah asked.

_ Oh, not much. Just a manticore, and Annabeth getting kidnapped and having to hold up the weight of the sky… _ “Let’s just say it didn’t end well,” Percy said. “The less said the better.”

“It was before we started dating,” Annabeth said. “Percy was an idiot. He was only, like, what, 13 at the time, and most boys are at that age.”

“True,” Darah agreed. “They grow out of it though.”

“So how long have you been hoping he’d ask you out?” Annabeth asked Darah.

“Oh, a couple months now, I think,” Darah said with a grin. “Glad he finally came to his senses.”

“Percy was like that, too,” Annabeth confided. “He was a little oblivious for a while.”

“Hey, we’re right here,” Josh protested. 

“Yeah, like, literally right underneath you,” Percy said. Annabeth’s weight across his lap was doing interesting things to his libido, and it didn’t help that from the way she was sitting, the slit in her dress had slid all the way up to her thigh, and he could see the sheath strapped there with her dagger. That was  _ hot. _

The girls laughed. 


	22. 22: Annabeth

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shout out to Tuesday Trivia. You know who you are.

When they got out of the town car at the place Percy had picked out, Annabeth noted with a smirk that Percy had to try and do some discreet adjustment to his pants. She had noted his reaction to her sitting in his lap on the ride uptown, and had shamelessly provoked him with subtle shifts of her weight. It gave her a little thrill to see the effect she had on him. 

The restaurant was busy with the post theatre crowd, only a few blocks up from the theatre district, so they were not significantly overdressed for the location. 

“All of these look amazing,” Darah said, after they got seated and got their menus. “And huge. I don’t know how I’m going to fit into my dress after this.” 

“You guys downed enough calories at dinner,” Annabeth said. “What’s a few more?” 

Percy laughed. “Annabeth is jealous of our swimmer’s metabolism. She doesn’t get enough exercise at the Forester School. Always sitting in class.”

“How come you went to the Forester School?” Darah said. “And not come to Goode with Percy?”

“When I was planning to start there, Percy and I hadn’t started dating yet. And I’d already switched high schools once, between sophomore and junior yet. I didn’t want to switch again. And really, we’re only a subway ride apart. How close do we really need to be?”

“You are going to college together,” Josh pointed out.

“That’s different,” Annabeth said. “If we weren’t doing that, we might be halfway across the continent from each other. I mean, here, I spend almost as much time in Percy’s apartment as I do in the dorm.”

“What does your family do?” Josh asked.

“My dad’s a history professor,” Annabeth said. “My step-mom is the stay at home type.”

“What about your mom?” Darah asked.

Annabeth waved this away. “Not in the picture, really. She...shows up...from time to time. We get along okay, but she’s not a constant presence. What about your folks?”

“My Mom’s plastic surgeon, and my Dad’s stockbroker. They’re divorced, but neither one of them has married again. My dad’s got a girlfriend. She’s, like barely out of college. It’s gross. She wants to be my friend. I’m glad I live with my mom.”

“That sucks,” Annabeth said. “So, is that why you want to be a vet?” They had talked about colleges earlier in the evening. “Because of your mom?”

“Yes, but not the way you think,” Darah answered. “I like medicine, and all, but listening to mom bitch about some of her patients...I decided animals would be easier to get along with. And besides, they’re cute.”

Everyone laughed at that. “What about you?” Annabeth asked Josh.

“I’m going to go to Syracuse next fall and study broadcasting,” Josh said. “I’m hoping to go work for ESPN someday.”

“That’s cool,” Annabeth said. “So you’ll be close to Darah then, if she’s at SUNY Alfred.” He nodded. “So, what about your parents, what do they do?” she asked. 

“My mom mostly stays at home. My dad’s a rabbi,” Josh said. “I know, be shocked.” He chuckled. “My folks wanted me to go to rabbinical school, but I convinced them I really didn’t want to go. Mom was upset, but dad was philosophical about it. One of my older brothers is already studying to be a rabbi, and we’re reform Jews, anyway, so it’s not like I’m being an iconoclast or anything. My dad’s father was a shoemaker. Anyway, when I finally got up the nerve to say I wanted to go to a regular high school, Dad told mom. ‘Not every kid can be a rabbi, somebody has to cut the diamonds,’” Josh said mimicking a Yiddish accent. “He was joking about the diamonds, of course, but Mom got the point.” He shrugged. “My parents were both born in Israel, but they came here as babies. My mom’s dad was killed in the Yom Kippur War.” 

“That’s terrible,” Annabeth said. She had dealt with enough death to know that ‘I’m sorry’ was a useless phrase.

Josh shrugged. “Way before I was born, obviously. Mom didn’t even know him, she was a baby when it happened. And speaking of missing dads,” he turned to Percy “You’ve never mentioned your real dad before, and then just out of the blue he shows up. Seemed like a nice enough guy. What’s he do?”

Percy floundered for a moment. “He’s...he’s…well, he’s...”

“He’s kind of a free spirit,” Annabeth stepped in. 

“Oh,” Josh said. “So, he’s like a hippy?”

“Sort of,” Percy said, with a smirk. “He doesn’t really stay in one place very long.”

“I have an uncle like that,” Darah offered. “He’s always ‘between jobs’, and lives out of a van a lot of the time. He claims he’s trying to make it as a musician.”

Annabeth wasn’t sure if Poseidon, God of the Sea would appreciate being compared this way, but he was a bit like a beach bum sometimes. 

“Is that why you’ve never talked about him before?” Josh asked.

“Kinda,” Percy admitted. 

“And didn’t you have a step-dad before Paul?” Darah asked. “Somebody mentioned that to me once.”

Annabeth saw Percy immediately tense. Gabe was not a topic he cared to talk about. “Yes,” he said flatly. “Fortunately, he’s not around anymore.”

“What happened to him?” Josh asked.

“He just up and disappeared. Never came home one day,” Percy said. “After a year, my mom got a divorce on the grounds of abandonment.” He shrugged “The less said, the better.”

The waiter arrived then to take their orders, and conversation shifted away from families for a time as they got a chance to unload about their classes. Darah, it turned out, had also taken the AP Chem test, so she and Annabeth found a lot to talk about. Percy and Josh had a bunch of the same classes. 

“So what’s it like at a boarding school? Must be a great preview for college.”

Annabeth thought back to the AP blowout party from a few weeks back. “Kind of. We have stricter dorm rules though...though I guess that depends on the college.”

“Well, no boys, obviously, since it’s a girls school,” Darah said.

“Yeah, that part sucks,” Percy agreed.

“Food’s not bad, though I eat a lot at Percy’s or we go out for food. There’s a Starbucks, and a Panara, and a whole bunch of other places around the corner from the dorm.”

“Where is it, exactly?” Darah asked.

“Lower East Side, near the Williamsburg Bridge. We’re tucked into a corner of Manhattan,” Annabeth said. “Hey,” she turned to Percy. “Did you know Rachel went there as one of the day students for middle school before going to Goode?”

“Really?” Percy looked surprised. “No, she never mentioned it.” 

“Rachel? Not Rachel Elizabeth Dare, with the red hair?” Darah asked.

“Yeah, did you know her?” Annabeth asked. 

"No way!” Darah said. “We hung out some freshman year. How do you guys know her?” she asked.

_ Percy tried to slice her in half with a sword, and she helped find the god Pan, and she tried to steal Percy from me, but it’s okay, she’s an Oracle now, and has to remain a maiden, so we’re friends… _ “She goes to the same summer camp as we do,” Annabeth finally answered.

“Your summer camp must be pretty interesting,” Josh observed. “It’s like, at the center of all your best stories. What’s this mysterious place called, anyway?” he asked.

Annabeth froze, “It’s uh..”

“Hey, look, at that!” Percy pointed. The soda fountain behind the counter had suddenly erupted in a geyser that the staff was frantically trying to staunch. 

“Aw, man, that sucks,” Darah said. 

Annabeth gave Percy a look, one that she hoped was a cross between relieved and exasperated. He really shouldn’t go breaking things like that just to cause a distraction. Percy gave her an innocent look back, and then started a conversation about something that had happened at school.

Their milkshakes came, eventually, and by the time they were finished it was past midnight. “I need to get home,” Darah said, looking at her phone. “My mom wanted me home by one.”

“We’ll call a cab, I’ll see you home,” Josh said. 

“What time do you have to be back?” Percy asked Annabeth. 

“Technically, I don’t,” she said. “I have permission to sleep out tonight. I figured I could crash at your place. I have a change of clothes there.”

Percy looked surprised. She grinned. He hadn’t been expecting that. She was looking forward to blue pancakes in the morning. 

“Ooooh,” Darah said. 

“Yes, because there’s going to be so much going on at his apartment with his baby sister waking up every two hours,” Annabeth pointed out.

“Which has turned my mother into the world’s lightest sleeper,” Percy added. “I haven’t been able to sneak in after curfew since my sister was born, so sneaking Annabeth into my room will be a non-starter.”

“Fair point,” Darah acknowledged. 

Annabeth knew that wasn’t strictly true. What actually had turned Sally Jackson into a light sleeper was listening for signs of Percy having a nightmare, so she could wake him up before he started screaming. 

When the bill came, the boys set to work dividing it up. Annabeth decided not to interfere, despite the furrowed look on Percy’s brow. It would needlessly wound his ego to usurp this mature, masculine ritual of paying for his date. 

“I need to use the ladies’ room,” Darah said. 

“I’ll go with you,” Annabeth offered. 

They made their way to the ladies room. “I’m sad that Percy waited so long to introduce you to us,” Darah told her. “I’ve had a great time tonight.”

“Me too,” Annabeth agreed. The ladies room was small, only two stalls, but despite the crowd, they had it to themselves for the moment. 

“So, you and Percy, are you two, like…” Darah trailed off.

“Everybody seems to think that, but no,” Annabeth said. She was stymied, temporarily by her thigh sheath, which she ended having to take off entirely to use the toilet. 

“But you want to,” Darah said slyly, from inside her stall. “I can tell.”

“Well, yeah. Can I help it if my boyfriend is hot?” 

“It’s a shame you couldn’t get away tonight,” Darah said. “Josh said something about his brothers threatening to get him a hotel room, but I think he’s too much of a gentleman to try it on on the first date.”

“You sound disappointed,” Annabeth said. 

“No...and yes,” she sighed. “I mean, I like him, a lot, but it  _ is _ just a first date. I’m not that kind of girl. But I guess…”

“You like the idea of him wanting to?” Annabeth guessed. “‘Cuz it makes you feel attractive?” 

“Exactly!” Darah agreed. “I mean, yeah. It’s nice to feel wanted, even if I don’t really want to.”

Darah was waiting at the sink for Annabeth, since she had to strap her sheath back on before she could leave the stall. She didn’t want Darah to see it. Be hard to explain. 

“So why haven’t you two?” Darah asked while Annabeth washed her hands. “I mean, you guys have been together for what, almost two years now? Are you waiting for marriage?”

“No,” Annabeth said. “I...don’t know, to be honest. We’ve come close a couple of times,” she admitted. “Lately, it’s that we keep getting interrupted,” she growled.

“Why didn’t you guys get a room for prom?” Darah asked as they made their way back to the table. 

“I told Percy I didn’t want to,” Annabeth admitted. “A decision I’m regretting. He looks so... _ hot _ tonight.”

“Um, to say nothing of how he’s feeling about you,” Darah pointed out. “You are looking  _ fine _ , tonight, girl.”

Annabeth felt herself blush. “Thanks.”

“I saw how he was looking at you in the town car,” Darah said. “He would have been all over you if you’d been alone.”

“Yes, well,” Annabeth said. “We don’t get a lot alone time, with his baby sister and all.”

“I can see where an infant would be an issue,” Darah agreed.

The boys had paid the bills by the time they got back, and Annabeth and Percy bade farewell to Darah and Josh who hailed a cab on 7th Ave to take them home. Annabeth hugged Darah warmly while Josh and Percy fist-bumped.

“See ya Monday,” Josh said. “Have a great rest of the weekend.” 

“You too, pal.” Percy said. “See ya, Darah!”

“Night, Percy. Night Annabeth, it was great to meet you!” she said, giving Annabeth another hug, and Percy a high five. Then she climbed into the cab after Josh, and Annabeth just caught a glimpse of her grabbing Josh and kissing him soundly as the cab pulled away. 

She grinned. “They’re happy.”

“Yeah, it’s awesome to see,” Percy said, and put his arm around her. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Want to reach me? theauthor@no2ticonderoga.com


	23. 23: Percy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Annabeth's birthday today, so a good day for this chapter!
> 
> Also, Uncle Rick's written a really insightful essay on Piper, and his research into her portrayal. As I writer, I found it fascinating. You should check it out. https://rickriordan.com/2020/07/feathers-why-feathers/

The girls had just left Josh and Percy, to head to the restroom and Josh looked up at Percy. 

“Hey, Percy,” Josh said. “You want to help me with something?” 

Percy looked up. His friend looked both nervous and knowing. “What’s up?” he asked.

“Remember how I was talking about how my brothers wanted me to get a hotel room for prom?”

“Yeah,” Percy said.

“Well, the three of them chipped in together, and got me a suite,” Josh held out a hotel keycard. “You know how obnoxious they are, and especially David, who was all ‘I’m God’s gift to women’, and ‘we Horowitz men can bed any woman’... And well, I don’t think...well, I’m not going to try to hook up with Darah on the first date, we’re not that kind of people,” he admitted. “But you and Annabeth...if she doesn’t have to go back to the dorm…”

Percy stared at the keycard, thinking about how Annabeth had said she hadn’t wanted to be a cliche. But he also thought about her sitting on his lap in the car...

“My brothers are going to know if I don’t use the room, and they’re not going to let it go, so take Annabeth, even if you guys just go raid the minibar and watch some pay-per-view. Blow it out. My brothers are footing the bill, so I’m more than happy to soak them.”

“What are you going to do?” Percy asked. “You can’t go home.”

“I’m going to take Darah home, and then I’m going to go hang out at an all night deli. They have a wifi hotspot, so I can watch a movie or something on my phone,” he said. “I’ll be fine.”

Percy hesitated. 

“Just take it,” Josh said. “You and Annabeth don’t really want to go back to your apartment anyway, do you?”

Percy took the card. “Thanks, man. I’ll owe you one,” he said.

“No, I’ll owe you one. Just make my idiot brothers pay for being a pain in the ass, okay?”

“No problem,” Percy promised him.

They figured out the check, and the girls returned. They made their way out of the restaurant, and bid Josh and Darah farewell. Percy put his arm around Annabeth.

“So,” he said, as the cab pulled away. “I have a question for you.”

“Yeah?” she looked at him.

“Do you really want to go back to my apartment?” he asked.

“Where else would we go?” she asked. He didn’t respond. “Percy?” she turned and looked at him. “What are you talking about?”

Percy drew the key card from his pocket. 

“Percy! You didn’t!” she said. But she didn’t sound angry, he noted. 

“No, I didn’t,” he admitted. He explained briefly about Josh’s brothers. “So, what do you think? I know you said…” he trailed off.

She grabbed his lapels, and looked into his eyes. She had a mad grin on her face. “I’ve a sudden, compelling desire to become a cliche. Care to join me?”

“Hades, yes,” Percy said, and they kissed sharply. Then he pulled away and looked toward the street. He threw out a hand toward the traffic. “Taxi!” he called.

It was odd to be going back to the hotel where they had come from, but the lobby was still busy when they arrived. Josh had given him the keycard with the little paper folder with the room number written on it. They were on the 23rd floor. Percy had had the cab stop at a 24 hour drug store on the way back to the hotel, where he had bought a pack of condoms, since he hadn’t brought any with him. They hadn’t said much on the drive, but had done quite a bit of kissing instead. They were holding hands tightly as they waited for the elevator. The doors opened and they stepped in.

“Hold the elevator!” someone called. Percy turned, and held the door. Three largish men lumbered into the elevator. They were all wearing red and white shirts that said “CANADA” on them. They had painted their faces, and smelled of beer. Percy wrinkled his nose. Annabeth squeezed his hand. She knew he had an aversion to beer, another legacy of Smelly Gabe. 

The doors closed. Something was bothering Percy about these guys. At first, he thought it was the beer, but then he realized that he felt like he’d seen these guys before.

The biggest guy, the one in the middle, turned slightly, like he was sniffing the air. “Do you smell that,” he rumbled.

Then Percy saw it. The tattoo on the guy's forearm that said “J.B. luvs Babycakes”. He jerked in alarm. Annabeth caught the motion, and Percy put his finger to his lips, and slipped his right hand into his pocket. 

Annabeth caught the movement, and she eased her dress up, giving her access to her knife. 

“I smell demigod,” one of the other ones rumbled. They slowly turned toward Percy and Annabeth. 

“Tasty demigod,” the last agreed.

The middle one, Joe Bob, peered at Percy. “I know you.”

“Hello, Joe Bob,” Percy said. “I’d say it’s good to see you again, but it’s not.”

“ _ Perseus Jackson _ ,” he growled. 

“How did you escape the final battle with Gaea?” Percy asked.

“After you eluded us in Vancouver, my brothers and I decided to sit out the conflict. I had no desire to visit Tartarus again, since Gaea was kind enough to let us out.” While they were talking, the three Laistrygonian Giants had been growing in size, and now they bumped their heads against the elevator.

“And why are you in New York?” Annabeth demanded.

“The Curling World Cup,” Joe Bob snarled. “We saved up for months for this trip,” he growled. “But you’ll be a nice bonus. The two of you will make a nice meal after a long day.” He waved a hand, and the familiar flaming dodgeballs appeared in his hands.

Percy pulled Riptide from his pocket, and uncapped it in one smooth motion. “You will find I’m not as easy prey as I was in middle school,” Percy said. They were trapped in an elevator, and the Giants would not be able to take advantage of their larger size. But then, Percy couldn’t really maneuver anyway. 

Annabeth moved first, dropping to her knees, and powersliding like a rock star. How she managed that in her dress, Percy wasn't sure. She slid cleanly in between two of the giants, popping up behind them. One giant was already crumbling to dust before he could even turn around in the cramped confines of the elevator. But the other was turning and swung at her. Percy took a swing at Joe Bob, but he dodged the swing, and parried it off one of his Celestial Bronze dodgeballs. 

Annabeth pressed herself up against the wall of the elevator, and narrowly avoided the punch which left an enormous dent in the wall.

Percy ducked under Joe Bob’s arm. He tried to bring Riptide up, but it caught on the railing on the wall of the elevator. Joe Bob began to laugh. Percy dropped into a crouch, trying to find cover by essentially getting between the giant’s legs. 

“Percy!” Annabeth called.

He risked a look and saw that the other giant had Annabeth by the arm. But he realized in the same instant that  _ she’d done that on purpose.  _ She’d held her knife in the opposite hand, which now came up, Annabeth pivoting her body against the hold the giant had on her, and slammed into the underside of the Giant’s chin. As he began to crumble to dust, she flipped her knife around and tossed it, hilt toward Percy.

Joe Bob, suddenly distracted by the death of his other brother, roared, and turned toward Annabeth, readying a flaming dodgeball to slam into her. But Percy expertly caught Annabeth’s knife out of the air, and neatly hamstrung Joe Bob, who staggered and fell toward the wall. Percy sliced upward with Riptide, neatly bisecting the giant up the middle, and he dissolved before Riptide was fully through the body. 

Percy stood there, panting, holding both weapons. There was about a half an inch of monster dust coating the floor of the elevator. One of the light fixtures was broken and sparking from where a giant had hit his head.

“Oh, Styx,” he panted. Annabeth pulled herself away from the wall and took her knife back from him. She hiked up her dress to put it back in its sheath and Percy capped Riptide. He looked around. “Do you think anyone will come looking?” he asked. “Like...security or something?” 

Annabeth shook her head. “The camera was the first thing the giant hit,” she pointed into a corner. There was a segment of broken black plastic, the kind that went over security cameras, and behind it, a video camera dangled from wires and snapped circuit boards. 

The elevator dinged, and they both jumped, turning back toward the doors. They slid open on the empty hallway of the 23rd floor. 

“C’mon,” she said, and pulled him out of the door, and down the hall. They found the room, and it took Percy two tries to get the door open, his hands were still shaking. He finally got the door open, and they went inside. Percy shut the door behind him, and made sure to flip the lock. When he turned around, Annabeth shoved him against the door and kissed him, hard. 

“Gods,” she breathed, when they came up for air. “I want you, now,” she said, already sliding her hands under his tux jacket to peel it off. 

“Fighting monsters is a turn on for you?” he smirked at her.

“Watching  _ you _ fight monsters is a turn on,” she said. 

“The feeling is mutual,” he said. She was undoing his bow tie.

“Less talk, Seaweed Brain,” she said, pulling his head down to kiss him.

“You got it, Wise Girl.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author available at: theauthor@no2ticonderoga.com


	24. 24: Annabeth

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Quick reminder: age of consent in the US is 17 or under in 39 of 50 states, including NY.

Annabeth had known that it wasn’t going to be anything like the books she sometimes read, the ones she kept hidden from her siblings in the Athena cabin. But it hadn’t been horrible, either. They’d both been so turned on from everything that had happened in the evening that what it lacked in technique had certainly been made up for in enthusiasm on both their parts.

Afterward, they laid together in the enormous king sized bed and marveled at the suite that Josh’s brothers had apparently shelled out for. There was a minibar, which Percy had already raided for bottles of premium mineral water. Percy hadn’t even glanced at the alcohol, which hardly surprised her. She doubted he would ever drink much, if anything, thanks to Gabe.

He held her, as she laid her head on his firm chest, their legs intertwined. “Well,” he asked. “Are we a cliche now?”

“Nah,” she said. “Normal teenagers don’t slice up Laistrygonian Giants on their way to get laid after prom.” 

Percy chuckled, and she giggled, and then he laughed, and in a moment, they were both laughing together hysterically, in a king-sized bed in a suite with a view of Times Square. 

“I love you, Wise Girl,” he said finally.

“I love you, too, Seaweed Brain,” she said, and he kissed the top of her head as she snuggled down on his chest again. His stomach began to growl. “What, are you hungry again?” she asked, astonished. He’d put away enough food for an army at dinner, and had an enormous milkshake afterwards.

“All that exercise,” he said. “Worked up an appetite.” She slapped his chest. He pulled a binder off the bedside table. “Score, they have a late night room service menu. Want anything?”

Annabeth did find she was hungry, a little. “Let’s see what they have.”

They ended up ordering a plate of cheesy nachos, which Percy ordered, giving his name as Mr. Horowitz, and charging the bill to the room. Then he found something on the pay-per-view station to watch while they waited for food. They cuddled up, and Annebeth could feel his fingers tracing lazy circles on her bare shoulder.

“This is nice,” she murmured.

“Yeah?” Percy said. “So we should do it again sometime?” she could feel him smirking.

“Yes,” she said simply. “I want to.”

“It was...okay...for you?” she could hear the uncertainty creeping into his voice. “I…

“You were fine,” she reassured him.

“Okay,” Percy said, sounding not-quite-relieved. “I’m…

She put a hand over his mouth. “Don’t you dare apologize,” she said. “Real life isn’t a romance novel,” she told him. “Besides,” she grinned at him. “It just gives us something to work up to. Practice, if you will.” She kissed his cheek. 

He looked a bit more relieved, and let the subject drop, but it was clear that he still had some insecurities about it. Annabeth privately cursed the societal expectations that caused them. 

“So, no regrets then, about doing this now?” he asked.

“None,’ she sighed. “This was perfect.”

“Even the giants in the elevator?” he asked.

“Well, that just kind of seems like...us, right?” she said. 

“True,” he said, pulling her tight to him. “Trouble seems to find us no matter where we go.”

Percy had to get up, to answer the door. He brought the plate of nachos to the bed, where they shared it while they watched whatever movie he had put on. It seemed to involve a lot of explosions, whatever it was.

“We should go back to your place,” Annabeth pointed out, as they finished up the nachos. She looked at the clock on the bedside. “It’s after 3, don’t you think your mom will start to worry?”

“Probably,” Percy admitted, reluctantly. “I’m enjoying the time alone with you.”

Annabeth felt herself blush a little, an odd thing to do while still in bed with your boyfriend. She kissed him. “You’re sweet.”

It was his turn to blush. “We can at least finish the movie.”

They ditched the plate, and cuddled up to watch the movie. Annabeth lost interest in it quickly, but she found herself fully occupied in enjoying being with Percy. She traced the scars on his chest. She was very familiar with most of them, since he was often shirtless at camp, swimming at the beach, or sparing on a hot day. Most of them, she had touched before. But there were new scars to explore, ones that she hadn’t been able to see, or ones that she’d never had the courage to touch before, out of a sense of trepidation as to where it might lead them. There was one nasty one that started just north of his waistband, and traced a slash across the top of his thigh. It wasn’t deep, but it was there. A clawmark of some kind. He shivered as her finger lightly ran it’s length. She tried not to think of them as marks that might have taken him away from her, but as badges that said. ‘I survived, and I’m still here.’ And he was all hers. 

Percy shifted underneath her, and she realized he was reacting to her attention in...interesting ways. 

“I’m sorry,” she said, in a voice that said ‘I’m not sorry in the least’. “Was I distracting you from the movie?”

He was fast, she had always known that, but the speed in which spun and was on top of her, pinning her to the bed was impressive. “To Hades with the movie,” he said, and he kissed her.

Afterwards, she told him. “A definite improvement on the first time.” They were curled together, Annabeth spooned into him with his arm comfortingly resting on her stomach.

“That’s good. We’ll have to keep practicing,” he breathed into her ear. She shivered a little, then yawned.

“We should go, soon,” he said. He sounded like he was yawning too.

“In a few minutes,” she said. “I’m super tired all of a sudden.”

“Okay,” Percy agreed. She sighed contentedly.

The next thing she knew, sunlight was streaming in the big window. She and Percy we’re still curled up tightly with one another, though he was snoring gently just behind her head. She glanced at the clock on the nightstand. It was nearly eight. They’d been asleep for four hours. 

“Oh, Styx,” she swore. “Percy! Percy, wake up!” She elbowed him in the gut.

“Wha…?” He was awake quickly. “What’s wrong?” he bolted up.

“It’s after seven in the morning, that’s what’s wrong,” she climbed up out of the bed, and started looking around the room for her clothes. “Your mother is going to freak out.”

“Oh, shit,” he said, also climbing out of the bed. He started gathering up his own clothes. “Oh, man. I just meant to close my eyes for a minute.” 

Annabeth claimed the bathroom first. The hotel was fancy enough to provide a full panoply of complimentary toiletries, which she took advantage of, running a brush over her teeth before turning the bathroom over to Percy. She really needed a shower, but it would have to wait until she got to Percy's apartment, where she had a change of clothes. By the time she was getting her dress on, Percy had finished in the bathroom. He was half dressed, his pants on, but his shirt still hanging open. She was struggling to get the halter top fastened behind her neck. Her hair had come loose from it's styling amid all their adventures the previous night, monstrous and otherwise, and was getting in the way. 

"Can you clip this for me" she said, turning her back to him. As she did so, she realized she was now facing one of the room's giant mirrors. She saw the look in his eyes as he gently took the two ends of the strap. His eyes had grown soft, and warm. 

"I can see me doing this some date night in the future," he said softly. "When we're in a hurry to get ready before the sitter gets here."

Annabeth thought she was going to melt right through the floor. 

He gently brushed her hair out of the way, and clipped the strap together, and she shivered at his light touch. He lowered his lips to her bare shoulder. "You are beautiful, Annabeth Chase."

She squirmed away. "Stop that, or we'll never get out of here."

She saw his grin in the mirror, like  _ So? What's your point?  _ She wavered for a split second, desire warring with sensibility. But she shook the thought off and firmly pushed him away and sat down on the bed. Her feet protested getting back into her heels, but she ignored the pain. If she could walk into Arachne's cave on a broken leg, she could walk in heels a bit further. 

Percy buttoned his shirt and put on his vest, but didn't bother with the bow tie. He shrugged on his jacket, and then he sat next to her to tie on his shoes. "Got everything?" He asked. "I'm going to leave the key card on the dresser with the tip for housekeeping, so we won't be getting back in."

Annabeth checked everything. She had her purse, her knife was back strapped in it's sheath on her leg. She had all the jewelry she'd come in with. "All set."

Percy nodded, and they left the room. At the elevator bank, they noted with a wry embarrassment that the middle elevator had an "Out of Order" sign on it. 

When they got to the lobby, Annabeth was both relieved and a bit amused that they were hardly the only couple in formal wear trying to duck out unobtrusively from the hotel. She wasn’t quite sure why it was called “the walk of shame”. She hadn’t done anything that she felt ashamed of. Perhaps a bit embarrassed to have to go to Percy’s place and explain themselves, for she hadn’t wanted to worry Sally. But not ashamed. 

When they got out to the street, Percy hailed a cab. The streets were fairly quiet on a Sunday morning, but there were still plenty of cabs. They rode quietly to Percy’s place on 63rd Street, holding hands and smiling, though Annabeth could tell Percy was anxious, just as she was.

They finally reached the door, and let themselves in. Sally was at the kitchen stove, humming to herself as she fixed up some breakfast. Estelle was bouncing in her infant seat, making baby noises.

“Hey, Mom…” Percy started. Sally turned, and smiled at them brilliantly. 

“Oh, hey kids,” she said, sunily. “Did you have a good time?”

Percy stuttered to a halt. “Uh..yeah..we did, we had a great time.” 

“That’s great,” she crossed the room to give Percy a kiss on the cheek and hug Annabeth. “I want to hear all about it. Come have some breakfast. I’ll make more.”

“Uh...okay,” Percy said. “You...you’re not mad?”

“For what?”

“For being out all night,” Annabeth said. She felt as confused as Percy looked. 

“Oh, sweetie, I wasn't worried. You’re demigods, you can take care of yourselves. I’m used to Percy disappearing. I don’t start worrying until Chiron calls from the Big House.” She waved away their anxieties. 

“So, you’re not mad?” Percy asked. 

“No, Percy, I’m not mad. Come, eat, I want to hear all about it.”

Annabeth exchanged a look with Percy, and it was clear for a split second they were both regretting their rush to leave the hotel. But Percy shrugged with a lopsided smile, and they sat down to eat. Sally plied them with blue pancakes from batter that she’d already made. Annabeth got the impression that it had been set aside for when they arrived home. 

Paul appeared about halfway through Percy’s story about Gage and his friends getting thrown out, wearing a ratty t-shirt and gym shorts, which Annabeth knew from previous visits were his preferred sleepwear. He groaned when he heard where Percy was in his story.

“Do we have to talk about them? I had to deal with their parents when they came to collect their precious darlings.”

“Oh, I bet that was fun,” Percy said. 

“No, it wasn’t,” Paul said, but he didn’t elaborate. Annabeth had noticed that he didn’t like to gossip much about Percy’s classmates, or their parents. At least around Percy. Sally probably got all the juicy stuff. “So...where did the two of you end up last night?” 

He’d caught Percy with a mouthful of orange juice, which, judging from the sly expression she caught pass over his face, had been his intention. Percy managed not to spray atomized orange juice all over the table, but only just.

“We...ah…” he stammered.

“Paul, not now,” Sally said gently but firmly. Paul gave Percy a fishy stare, but let it drop. 

“Annabeth, dear, if you’re finished, why don’t you go take a shower. You can grab clothes from the drawer in Percy’s room and get more comfortable before I run you back to school.” she smiled at her. 

_ Divide and conquer,  _ she realized instantly. But she went anyway. She couldn’t wait to get back out of her nylons.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The author can be reached at theauthor@no2ticonderoga.com


	25. 25: Percy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I'm going to provide a CW for this chapter. Percy's nightmare is a bit intense here, and while the it's not actually stated out loud until next chapter, it's implied heavily here that it involves assault. It's all in his head, however (poor thing), no characters were harmed in the making of this chapter. Well, not physically anyway. Don't worry though, he's going to get the help he needs.

“Paul, why don’t you go give Estelle some tummy time,” Sally suggested. Paul nodded, and kissed his mom on the head, and scooped up Estelle and disappeared off to the living room.

Percy decided he was going to let his mom make the first move in whatever this was going to be. 

“So....” his Mom began. “I’m going to take a wild guess here and say that whatever kept you out all night was not monster related.”

“Actually,” Percy said. “There was a monster thing, but we dealt with that.’

His mother raised an eyebrow in surprise. “Oh?”

Percy gave her a brief summary of Josh’s offer of the hotel room, and the monsters in the elevator.

“Mmhmm,” Sally said. “So, you were going back to this hotel room…?”

Percy let that question hang there for a moment. 

Sally nodded. “I see. Well, then I guess I only want to ask if you were responsible and level headed about it.”

Percy nodded emphatically. “Yes.”

“I’d ask you if you made sure it was what you  _ both _ wanted, except that I have no doubt that Annabeth could kick you sorry behind from here till Tuesday if you tried to get her to do something she didn’t want to do.”

“That’s for...hey!”

His Mom held up her hand. “I’m just looking out for both of you. I know I raised you to be respectful and kind, or at least I did the best I could. You didn’t always have the best of role models.”

The spectre of Gabe hung between them for an ugly moment.

“I swear, Mom,” Percy said with feeling, “I would never treat her with anything but the utmost respect. I asked her if she wanted to go back, she said yes,” he said. “And even if she’d decided that it wasn’t what she wanted once we got there, we wouldn’t have. We could have just watched a movie, or something,” he said. “I promise, Mom. We both knew what we were doing and what we wanted.”

"I believe you, Percy," she said. "I just…" she sighed. "You're growing up so fast." She chuckled. "This wasn't the conversation I was prepared to have this morning."

Percy furrowed his brows. "What are you talking about?"

His Mom rose from her chair and came around the table. Before he realized what she was on about, she had retrieved his tux jacket from the coat hook he'd slung it on, and dipped her hand in the pocket. She drew out the engagement ring that had ridden there all night. "I expected her to come home wearing this." 

"I almost proposed twice," he admitted. "I got interrupted...I wanted the right moment."

His mom gave him a wry smile. "That is generally best." She looked at the ring and sighed. "Best put this away while Annabeth is in the shower, so it doesn't get left in your jacket when I take it for dry-cleaning tomorrow."

"Okay."

Percy took the ring and what was left of his dignity and retreated to his bedroom. Annabeth had been in already, retrieving the duffle bag that had her emergency clothes that she kept under Percy's bed. It was one of several quest "Go-Bags" that she kept stashed around. She would undoubtedly replenish it the next time she came by to visit. 

Percy tucked the ring back into it’s hiding place in the top drawer of his dresser. 

He was just sliding it closed, when Annabeth came in. She was wearing Capri pants and an old yellow tank top, and her hair was wet from a wash. And she looked amazing. "Hey," she said, tossing the duffel bag on the bed. "I see you survived your interrogation."

"What? Oh, yeah. It wasn’t bad. You know Mom. She just wanted to make sure I didn’t convince you to do anything you didn’t want to do.” 

Annabeth snorted. “As if,” she said.

“I know, right?” Percy shook his head. “I might could take you one or two times out of four, in sparing, but I couldn’t keep it up for long enough. And that’s only because we’re not really trying to kill each other.”

Annabeth grinned evilly at him. “Don’t you forget it.” 

“On land, anyway,” Percy said. “At sea, it’s a whole different story.”

Annabeth tilted her head and arched an eyebrow. “Are you suggesting you would drag me out to sea, and keep me captive underwater as your uwilling sex slave?”

“Um. No,” Percy said. The very thought made his skin crawl. “That got dark quickly.”

“You started it.”

“I only meant that you probably couldn’t kick my ass as easily at sea,” Percy said. “I didn’t say anything about holding you hostage or...you know, forcing you to do anything.” He shivered. “I would never…”

Her expression softened. “Oh, Percy. I know you, you could never hurt me.” She crossed the room and touched his cheek. “I didn’t mean that for real. It wasn’t funny, I’m sorry.”

“‘Sokay,” he said. She hugged him tightly.

“I love you, Percy,” she said. 

He hugged her back, and kissed her cheek. “I’m going to go take a shower,” he said. 

“Good idea,” his Mom said from the doorway, “I’ll take Annabeth home, while you shower and lie down for a nap. You look exhausted.” 

“Um, okay.” Percy had wanted to ride downtown with Annabeth and his mom, but the look his mom was giving him clearly said to let it go. “I’ll see you later, then,” he said to Annabeth.

She smiled at him, looking a bit apprehensive about heading out with his mom. “Yep. Want to meet up after school tomorrow?”

“I’ll be there,” he promised. He kissed her on the cheek, conscious of his Mom watching them from the doorway. 

“Love you, Seaweed Brain.” She said, and kissed him on the lips, before grabbing her bag and heading out with his Mom.

Percy headed for the bathroom and peeled out of the remainder of his formal wear. He hung up the pants, vest and shirt carefully. He noted Annabeth’s dress hanging on the rack as well. His mom had promised to dry clean all of their stuff before Annabeth’s prom on Friday night. 

He felt gritty from his fight with the giants the night before, and turned the hot water all the way up. It felt good to scrub down, but then he leaned against the wall of the shower, just letting the water wash over him, relaxing him. He replayed the previous night in his head, from the little things, like getting a chance to watch his girlfriend instantly make friends with all his friends, to the world turning upside down - in the best way possible - at the hotel later on. 

Thinking about  _ that _ made him push off the shower wall and turn the water down to cold. After a moment or two, he shut off the water and toweled off. He pulled on a ratty pair of shorts and a swim team t-shirt and headed back to his room. Once he was out of the water, the exhaustion that had been threatening to catch up with him finally knocked him flat. He flopped down on his bed and closed his eyes.

“Percy! Percy!” 

Percy shot bolt upright on his bed. Paul was shaking his arm. Percy blinked at him in disorientation, the blackness receding away, but still leaving him shaking. He started rocking back and forth on the bed, clutching his arms to his chest. His teeth were chattering. 

“Percy, are you okay?” Paul asked gently. 

The images of the dream -  _ nightmare _ \- were tangled, jumbled and ugly. They were fading, but slowly. He thought he could still hear Akhlys’s screaming, and Tartarus laughing. Percy felt unsettled and his heart was racing. He tried to control his breathing.

“Percy?” 

“I…nightmare…” he said. “I... _ move _ .” He bolted from bed, past a startled Paul, and only just made it across the hall to the bathroom before he threw up.

Percy sat, panting over the toilet, as his swirling thoughts tried to form a pattern that wasn’t terrifying. Nightmares were nothing he wasn’t used to. He usually had a couple a week. But this was on a whole other level. He hadn’t had one like this in a long time. This was the sort of thing he’d had right after escaping from Tartarus and the summer after the war, when he couldn’t sleep more than an hour at a stretch before waking up in terror, screaming. 

“Percy,” Paul asked gently from the doorway. “Did you take your meds last night?” 

_ Oh, shit,  _ Percy thought as the question penetrated. Dr. Berger had prescribed both Annabeth and Percy several drugs to help with their anxiety and nightmares, post-Tartarus. Percy usually took his right before bed. But he hadn’t taken them last night, since he hadn’t come home. That would help explain his current predicament. “No,” he managed.

“Can I get you an Ativan?” Paul asked.

“No,” Percy shook his head. He knew he was being stubborn. Acute episodes were what the drug was supposed to be for, after all, but he hated taking it, because he hated the way it made him feel afterwards. He hadn’t needed it in a long time anyway, because the other treatments had been working. Dr. Berger had given him the prescription as a backup, or for emergencies.  _ Like this one _ . 

But Percy shook off the thought, and tried to clear his head. “I’m okay,” he said finally, taking a ragged breath. “I’m..okay.” He spit one more time into the toilet then flushed it. He dragged himself to his feet and stood unsteadily at the sink. Paul watched him warily the whole time. Percy swigged some mouthwash and gargled to get the vomit aftertaste out of his mouth. 

“Do you want to come out to the couch? I’ll get you a drink of water,” Paul offered. 

“Sure,” Percy said. “Where’s Estelle?” 

“I had just put her down for a nap, when I heard whimpering from your room,” Paul explained, as he followed Percy out to the living room. He watched him carefully and made sure he was sitting before he went for water. “I went in to check on you, and you were thrashing around, and crying in your sleep.”

“Ah,” Percy said. His hands were still shaking. Paul handed him the glass of water, and he took it. He took a long drink. 

“Do you want to talk about it?” Paul asked.

“No.” He paused. “Yes. I don’t know.”

“Okay.”

There was a long pause, as they sat together. “I…” He took a breath. “When Annabeth and I were in Tartarus, I...tried to kill Akhlys. It’s...not really important why, but it made me feel powerful. Like...I could do anything. It was a scary feeling.” Paul didn’t say anything. “I...I tried to hurt Annabeth. In my dream, I mean.”

“Percy…” Paul said.

“I used my power to hold her down. I could never do that in real life, but I was, and I could hear laughter, like Kronos, and Gaea, and the others, and they were all saying I was just like them, in the end. And I hurt her.”

“Percy, you’re not like that.”

“But when I...with Akhlys...I enjoyed it. I  _ liked _ hurting her. It felt good to give pain for a change. After all the shit we’ve had to take, I  _ liked _ giving it back. What if…”

“Percy,” Paul took his hand, “look at me. You’re  _ not _ like that. That’s not who you are,” he said. “You are, without a doubt, one of the greatest souls I have ever met. I don't think it's in your nature to hurt anyone."

"But…"

"Monsters don't count," Paul said. "You wouldn't hurt anyone who hadn't tried to hurt you, or your Mom, or Annabeth. You would never hurt Annabeth. Not intentionally. You couldn't. You'd cut off your own arm before you did."

Percy didn't say anything. On one level, he knew Paul was right, and this was reassuring. And Annabeth hadn’t really meant anything by her joke, though Percy knew those thoughts had somehow worked their way into his subconscious, to help produce that...abomination...that had appeared in his brain. 

"You're not like that. You're not like him," Paul assured him. There was no need to say which him. 

Percy didn't say anything. He just stared at the blank tv, trying to calm his swirling thoughts and his nerves. Paul stayed with him, putting an arm around his shoulders. He didn't say anything else, but Percy felt a little bit better for him being there. 

He didn't hear the door open, but he did notice when Paul got up. He was vaguely aware of whispered conversation, and then his Mom was there. "Percy?" She took Paul's place rubbing his back. "Are you okay?"

"Getting there," he said. 

"You should have taken the Ativan," she said. "I know you don’t like how it makes you feel, but you could have just slept it off."

"I know," he sighed. 

"Paul told me you had a nightmare."

"Yeah. I...I…"

"It's okay, you don't have to talk about it."

Percy nodded gratefully. 

"What do you need?" she asked.

_ Annabeth,  _ Percy thought. But that was out of the question for now. "I'm going to call Dr. Berger tomorrow," he said. “See if he’ll see me this week.”

"Are you going to go to school tomorrow?" she asked.

"Yes," Percy said. “I’ll be okay. I’m...getting better now.” He took a shuddering breath, and finally tore his gaze from the blank TV screen. “I need to distract myself. I should...do school work or something.” He hugged his mother, holding on to her, and trying not to break down again. He took another shuddering breath. “I love you, Mom.” 

“I love you, too, Percy. You’re a good man.” She brushed the hair back off his face. “And Annabeth loves you, too.” She smiled. "Pretty sure I'm the only person on this Earth that might love you more than she does."

For the first time since he'd woken up from his nightmare, Percy smiled.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Email the author at: theauthor@no2ticonderoga.com


	26. 26: Annabeth

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As I indicated in the previous chapter, Percy's nightmare is pretty intense. CW for conversations about assault (only in nightmares, though, no one is actually being harmed)

Annabeth has been correct in assuming the car ride back to school would be a thinly veiled interrogation. Sally could be alarmingly straight forward. "Percy didn't pressure you into doing anything you didn't want to do, did he?" she asked immediately.

_ No, actually, I pretty much ripped his clothes off him.  _ "No," she said firmly. "He made sure I was okay at every step."

Sally looked relieved. "Good. I mean, I know you can take care of yourself, Annabeth. But there is more than one kind of pressure. It's not always about the physical," she said. "I know Percy means well, but he is just a boy, after all."

“It’s fine, Sally,” Annabeth said. “Believe me, we were totally in sync.” She paused. “After all, it’s not like it hasn’t been coming for a while.”

“That’s true,” Sally said, with a snort. “I wonder what Paul and I might have found if we’d been a few minutes later getting home from the Faculty Mixer a few weeks ago.”

Annabeth blushed deeply and decided that it was time to try and change the subject. Fortunately, Sally let her off easy.

The rest of the ride back to school was uneventful. Sally dropped her off at the dorms, and Annabeth gave her a wave before heading in. 

Kirsten was not in her room when she got in, so Annabeth unpacked her dirty clothes from her duffel, and immediately replaced what she’d taken out with fresh clean ones, and hung the duffel bag on the hook by the door. She would give it to Percy to take back to his place. She was tired, but she still had classes to study for, so she pulled out her homework and started in. She wasn’t sure how long she’d been working when she heard someone knock on the doorframe. It was Ava and Kassandra. 

“Hey,” she said. “Come on in!”

“We wanted to find out how it went at Percy’s prom,” Ava said, as they came in and made themselves comfortable. Ava slumped into the beanbag chair, Kassandra took Annabeth’s bed. 

“Oh, it was amazing!” Annabeth said, grinning. “His friends were really cool.” 

“Music was good?” Kassandra asked.

“Oh, to hell with music, Kassandra,” Ava said. “Did you spend the night with Percy?” she asked, clearly getting to the point that she was most anxious to hear.

Kassandra rolled her eyes. “She’s been like this since she found out you didn’t come back to the dorms last night.”

“You didn’t tell us you’d gotten permission to sleep off campus!” Ava protested. 

“I was just planning on crashing at his place,” Annabeth said. “That’s no big deal. I’ve done that dozens of times. And besides, he’s got his baby sister there. Everyone there is up at all hours.”

“Wait,” Kassandra said.

“Hold up,” Ava added. “ _ Planning? _ ”

Annabeth sighed, but grinned. “So, Percy’s friend Josh. I guess he’s got a bunch of older brothers, who are all like ‘We’re God’s Gift To Women, All Women Must Sleep With Us”, and they’ve been teasing him about taking a date to prom, and how he has to try and get with his date...anyway, they booked him a hotel room, without asking. And if it didn’t get used, they’d know, and tease him about it. And Josh, he was on his first date with Darah and he was uncomfortable trying to put the move on her.”

“Okay...what does this have to do with Percy and you and getting down and dirty?” Ava asked.

“Well, Josh gave Percy the hotel room key,” Annabeth said. “So, we…”

“I knew it!” Ava exclaimed.

“You knew what?” Kirsten said, entering the room. She was carrying a stack of books, and was clearly just returning from the library. 

“Annabeth had sex with Percy last night!” Ava crowed.

“What? No!” Kirsten said. “You go girl!” she put out a hand for Annabeth to high five, and she did so, half-reluctantly. Sure, it was embarrassing to have her love life dissected this way, but still, she was a little thrilled that her friends were happy for her.

“Tell us  _ everything _ ,” Ava insisted.

“Um.” Annabeth wasn’t prepared to go that far. “I think that some things are best…”

“Was it good?” Kirsten asked. “I mean, did he have any clue what he was doing? All I’ve heard is that the first time is pretty lousy, especially if the guy’s clueless.”

“It...was pretty good,” Annabeth admitted. “It was Percy’s first time, too.”

“Did it hurt?” Kassandra asked.

Annabeth shook her head. 

“And you remembered protection,” Kirsten said.

“Of course,” Annabeth said. 

“Good, because otherwise I’d be marching you down to the Health Clinic for a morning-after pill,” Kirsten said. 

“No, Percy had the taxi stop at a drugstore, and he bought condoms. And that’s on top of the fact that I take the pill. We hadn’t been planning on it when the evening started." Recalled to her morning routine, Annabeth went to her bedside table and found her medications, including her pills from Dr. Berger. 

The revelation about the taxi stop required her to back up and explain the whole story again to Kirsten, who had missed the first part. She explained about the hotel, and going out for ice cream, and then going back to the hotel. She left out the part about the Lastragonians, simplifying leaving that as  _ we made out in the elevator.  _

“It all sounds so romantic,” Kassandra sighed.

“So what about next weekend?” Kirsten asked.

“Well, I can assure you that Percy’s not getting a room at the Plaza,” Annabeth said. “No way could he drop that kind of cash.” 

“Plenty of cheaper hotels in New York City,” Ava pointed out. 

“We’ll see. It was an entirely unexpected bonus,” Annabeth said. “Look, if it hadn’t been last night, it probably would have been soon anyway. We just…” she smirked at the Leo-worthy wordplay she was about to drop “...got lucky.”

They all groaned. Kirsten then shooed Ava and Kassandra away as she had a term paper to work on, and Annabeth was just as grateful to get off the hook for further dissection of her ‘night of debauchery’ as Kirsten had begun calling it.

It was late when Annabeth finally got into bed; after working on schoolwork all afternoon, she’d treated herself to Panara for dinner, and then watched a movie with Kirsten. As she climbed into her dorm bed, though, she thought of Percy and the giant bed they’d shared the night before, and how wonderful it felt to wake up with him curled around her, hand splayed protectively on her stomach. 

“You’re thinking about him,” Kirsten observed, catching Annabeth’s expression as she got into her own bed.

Annabeth shrugged. “So? Is that a crime?”

“No, of course not. But I can tell. You’re thinking about how much you want to jump him right now.” Kirsten shook her head. “You guys are so sappy. Cute, but sappy.”

“Good night, Kirsten,” Annabeth said, and she rolled over. 

“Good night, Mrs. Jackson,” Kirsten replied.

Annabeth rolled her eyes.

School the following day was interminable. She was exhausted from not getting enough sleep on the weekend, and all of her classes seemed extra hard. Even the others remarked that the workload seemed excessive. “It’s cuz they’re trying to keep us from checking out early with prom this weekend,” Kassandra speculated. “They’re piling it on to keep us from goofing off too much.”

“Probably,” Ava agreed.

By the time Annabeth got back to the dorm in the afternoon, all she wanted was a nap. But Percy was sitting on the steps again. And he looked  _ terrible _ .

“Hey, Seaweed Brain,” she said, concerned. “What’s wrong?” She sat down next to him, and he pulled her close and just held her.  _ Uh oh _ , she thought. That usually meant he’d had some kind of panic attack or PTSD episode. He hadn’t had one in a long time, but something must have triggered one, either Sunday after she left, or during school. “Something happen at school?”

“No,” Percy chuckled a little. “Thank the gods. School was okay. I thanked Josh, and he was happy we ran up his brother’s bill. He told me that he actually went back to Darah’s house and she invited him in. She changed out of her dress and they cuddled and made out on the couch for a while watching TV. He said it was the best night ever.”

“That’s awesome,” Annabeth said. ‘I’m happy for them. How is everybody else?”

“They’re good. Neither Josh nor Darah spilled the beans about Josh giving me his hotel room, so I didn’t get a lot of grief about it. Which was good. The other girls would have been all over me if that had been the case. Most of them left me alone today anyway. I told them I’d had a migraine last night and they pretty much let me lay low. Mostly.” 

“Well, that’s good,” Annabeth said. “So...you want to talk about it?”

“After you left yesterday, I laid down for a nap, and I had a bad nightmare,” he said. Early on, as part of their therapy with Dr. Berger, they’d agreed to be fully honest about their episodes. They both took it very seriously as part of their healing together. Dr. Berger had warned them that trying to hide them from each other would poison their relationship, and introduce distrust. Neither one of them wanted that. 

“Tartarus?” she asked.

“That was part of it,” he admitted. “Akhlys.” She squeezed his shoulder. “And there was more…”

“Okay.”

“I…” he took a breath. “I raped you. I wrapped you up in ropes of poison, and raped you.”

“Oh,” she said in a small voice. 

“Part of it was I didn’t take my meds,” Percy admitted. “Part of it…”

“That’s my fault,” she admitted. “It was a terrible joke, I never should have…”

“No, don’t blame yourself,” Percy said with heat. “Just because it came up out loud, doesn’t mean my subconscious wouldn’t have put it out there anyway. If I’d taken my meds, it might not have happened either, and I’m the only one who could have controlled that.” He took her hand and squeezed it tightly. “We’re not supposed to take blame like that. We’re not responsible for each other’s subconscious.”

That  _ was _ something that Dr. Berger had emphasized with them. They couldn’t fall into a guilt cycle, particularly over things they couldn’t control. It would only make things worse. 

“So was that all?” Annabeth asked.

Percy looked at her. “That all?” he sounded a little surprised. “That’s not enough?” He looked away.

“Percy, look at me,” she said. He turned toward her, and she took his face in her hands. “I love you. You are a good man, the greatest. You could never hurt me, not on purpose. I trust you more than anyone on this planet. There is no one I want by my side more. Today, tomorrow, forever. I don’t think you could hurt anyone on purpose, because that's the kind of man you are. You are the one I’m going to be with forever, Percy Jackson. The greatest of men.”

Percy took a deep breath, and he buried his head on her shoulder, and she realized he was crying, tears of release, or relief. She held him, not giving a damn who might have been walking by or what they thought. After a few minutes, he took a deep, shuddering breath. He picked up his head, and swiped at his eyes. “Sorry.”

“Hey,” she said. “Nothing to be sorry for, right?” she lifted his chin. “We’re not ashamed of our feelings.” He shook his head. “Good.” She stood, offering him her hand. “Now, c’mon. Let’s get some food into you. Things always improve with food.”

He stood and followed her. He looked a little better. Tired, yes, but he’d lost that haunted look. He’d probably been dreading sharing his dream with her since yesterday, and now that he had, the pressure was off his shoulders. She pulled him along. “I’m sending you home early tonight,” she said. “You need to get some sleep.” He did not object, which worried Annabeth all the more. “Have you talked to Dr. Berger?” she asked.

He nodded. “Yeah, I’m going in to see him tomorrow afternoon. You want to meet me there after the appointment’s over?” 

“Yes,” she said immediately. “That’s fine."

“Hey, where are we going, anyway?” Percy said, finally realizing they were going the wrong way. 

“I have a surprise for you,” she said. “I hadn’t told you about it yet, but you need a pick-me-up today,” she said. They turned the corner. “Ta-da!” 

It didn’t look like much from the outside, but the small shop front for the gourmet ice cream sandwich place was pretty self-explanatory.

“No way!” Percy said, sounding excited for the first time. “How long has this been here?”

“Opened in April. But I didn’t want to end up here every time you came over, so I was saving it for a special occasion,” she said. “C’mon. Let’s see what they can do to help cheer you up.”

“You do that all on your own, Wise Girl,” he said, taking her hand. “Thanks for being there for me.”

“Always, Seaweed Brain.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A couple of the comments folks have left have inspired me to jot down some notes for scenes from this story from alternate POVs. Would anyone be interested in reading anything like that? Drop a note in comments if you think you would! 
> 
> Email the author at: theauthor@no2ticonderoga.com


	27. 27: Percy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I'm still thinking about doing some companion pieces for this, maybe from alternate POVs, to drop into a seperate story. If you think of something specific you'd like to see, drop me a note in the comments. 
> 
> We're through the worst of the CW warning stuff here, but Percy is going to pay a visit to my favorite OC. I've recycled Dr. Berger from a fic I wrote years and years ago for HP, but really he's based off a character I played back when I did theatre, of the same name, from Judith Guest's Ordinary People, so the virtual hat is tipped in her direction. 
> 
> Enjoy!

He felt better on Tuesday; he always felt better after talking things out with Annabeth. Seeing Dr. Berger that afternoon would help as well. The bell rang at the end of 3rd period, and Percy and Josh headed out of math. The intercom cracked. “The following students please report to Guidance. Stephen Abrams, Kalee Demeco, Catherine Finnegan, Kevin Hammond, Percy Jackson…”

“Ah, Styx, now what?” Percy cursed. 

“Better go see what they want,” Josh said, “I’ll catch you at lunch.”

“Right,” Percy said, and changed direction toward the Guidance Office. When he got there, there was the usual crowd at the desk. The secretaries were handing out forms and letters and other stuff to the kids who had been called down. Percy tried to squeeze in a place at the counter, but a voice called to him. “Percy!”

Percy groaned inwardly. His guidance counsellor, Ms. DiOrio, meant well, but she was clearly out of her depth where Percy’s issues were concerned. Of course, it didn’t help that he couldn’t really tell her any of them, so he didn’t hold it against her. Just that talking to her was like talking in circles. 

“Hey, Ms. DiOrio, what’s up?” he asked as she led him back toward her office.

“I just wanted to touch base with you. It’s been a while,” she said. Percy’s bullshit detectors were working overtime now.

“I have class,” Percy pointed out.

“I know, Percy, it’s all right.” They entered her office. She sat down at her desk. “Would you like a peppermint?”

“No, thanks,” he said.

“First, we’re getting on toward the end of the year, and I wanted to check in, see how your classes are going, how you’re feeling about finals,” she said. “I checked your grades, you’re on a good track to graduate.” 

That much was true. This late in the year, even Percy would have trouble screwing it up now. “Yeah, they’re going fine. Finals are...scary, but I’m working on getting prepared for them.”

“That’s good,” she said. “Let me know if you need anything to help get ready for those.” There was a pause as she looked at him like she hoped he would say something. Finally, she continued. “Percy, a couple of your teachers told me you were a little out of sorts yesterday.”

_ Shit.  _ He’d hoped no one had noticed. Well, he knew that Ms. Langston had noticed, but he’d given her the migraine line. Maybe she hadn’t bought it. The downside to all the documentation that Dr. Berger had given the school was that Percy had been red flagged six ways to Sunday, and pretty much everyone thought they had a right to “check in” on him if he gave them the slightest excuse.

“A little. I had a…”

“Migraine, yes, I heard,” Ms. DiOrio said. “And that happens, but we’re just looking out for you Percy. We care about you.”

“Thanks,” Percy said, trying hard not to roll his eyes. 

“Is everything going okay? Did you enjoy prom? I saw you there. Who was the blonde girl you were with? I’ve never seen her before.”

“My girlfriend, Annabeth,” Percy couldn’t help smiling when he said her name. “She goes to the Forester School, down in the Lower East Side.” 

“You guys looked like you were having a great time,” she said. 

“We were,” he replied. 

“How are things with your mom and step dad?”

He sighed. Maybe if he threw her a bone he could get out of here faster. “Look, Ms. DiOrio, fact is that during the day on Sunday, I tried to take a nap, but I had a nightmare. I messed up and didn’t take my meds on Saturday night because I was out so late at prom, and it screwed me up all day on Sunday. I really did have a migraine later in the evening because I was so tired. I got back on my meds and slept OK Sunday night, but I was kind of out of it on Monday.” 

“I’m sorry to hear that, Percy. Was it a bad nightmare?”

“Yes,” he said. “I don’t want to talk about it. But,” she’d opened her mouth to probably say something like ‘talking helps’, but he steamrolled on. “I have an appointment with Dr. Berger this afternoon. I made it yesterday.”

Ms. DiOrio nodded. “That’s good, Percy. I’m glad you’re reaching out.” She seemed disappointed that he wouldn’t confide in her. He wondered if it drove her nuts to have a student with all of Percy’s documented issues on her caseload, but not really know anything about him. Did she go home to her husband and say ‘I wish I knew what was really going on with that Jackson kid’? Maybe. She did care, he gave her that much. 

“I have a test this week in English, Ms. DiOrio, can I go to class now?” he asked. “I don’t want to miss more of the review.”

She nodded, apparently satisfied that everyone’s suspicions had been correct, and Guidance had done its job and gotten to the bottom of it. She’d go talk to Ms. Langston and reassure her that everything was under control. She wrote Percy a pass. “If you need anything…”

“Thanks, Ms. DiOrio, I will,” he said, and beat a hasty retreat. He practically sprinted to English, and handed his pass to Mrs. Bartlett, who glanced at it and sent him to his seat. 

“Where were you?” Emma asked in a whisper.

“Guidance,” he hissed back.

She wrinkled her nose, and Percy dug out his notebook.

At the end of the day, Percy passed Ms. Langston in the hall, and she gave him a cheery wave, and said “Glad to see you’re doing better, Percy.” He returned the wave and managed to hold off rolling his eyes until she was behind him. 

Percy hopped the subway at school for the ride out to Brooklyn, where Dr. Berger had his office in a quiet, out of the way corner of Borough Park. Going to Brooklyn always made Percy a little jittery. He’d never run into the Kanes out here, though he knew they were in Brooklyn somewhere. Dr. Berger’s office was on the second floor, above a takeout deli. 

It was a quiet office, Percy had rarely seen anyone else there. The waiting room was filled with magazines in English, Hebrew and Yiddish. Dr. Berger appeared from his office before Percy had gotten a chance to sit down. “ _ Ave _ , Praetor,” he said. “Come on back, Percy.”

Percy had given up pointing out that he’d only been Praetor for, like, a day, but apparently it didn’t matter. Once a Praetor, always a Praetor, it seemed. 

“So,” Berger said, taking a seat in his armchair. Berger never took notes, but always fidgeted during the sessions, sometimes playing with a metal slinky he kept on his desk. Being a legacy hadn’t smoothed out his ADHD apparently. “What brings you here today?”

Percy started from the beginning. The prom, the after events, the fact that he forgot to take his meds, then the dream, and the panic attack. Dr. Berger winced as Percy described the dream in detail, the laughing voices of Kronos, and his other enemies who mocked him, told him he was no better than they were, that he too, enjoyed causing pain. 

“I would be careful in ascribing too much significance to skipping one night of medication,” Dr. Berger cautioned. “Though it may have played a contributing role. In my opinion, your encounter with the Lastragonians was more to blame, and just the general build up of stress. Senior year is a tough time, Percy,” Dr. Berger said. “And this has probably been building for a while.”

“Everything seemed to be going so well, and Annabeth and I were so happy,” Percy said. 

“Emotional highs can be followed by emotional lows,” Dr. Berger pointed out. “It’s like a boomerang.” He toyed with his slinky. “How’s Annabeth doing?”

“She seemed okay when I saw her yesterday. She’s supposed to be meeting me here,” he said. 

“Oh? That’s good, I’ll chat with her for a bit before you both leave.” He leaned forward. “So...Percy, how do you feel?”

Percy blinked. “What?”

“Why are you here?” he asked. 

“Because of my nightmare...because...it scared me.”

“Okay,” he prompted. “So it scared you. Did talking about it make it better?” 

“Um...I guess. I thought it was just, kind of, the sort of thing I should tell you about.”

Berger waved this away. “But did talking with me make you feel better.”

“A little.”

“Have you told anyone else about it?”

“Paul...but not the details. I only told him I hurt Annabeth. He might have guessed, though.”

“Did that make you feel better?” 

“Not really. But it was nice he was there for me. He wants to help so badly.” 

Berger nodded. “And your mom?”

“I couldn’t tell her anything. I didn’t even want to look at her.”

“Did you tell anyone else?”

“Annabeth, of course. I had to tell her. I had to be honest with her,” Percy said.

“And how did that make you feel?”

“Scared. But better.”

“Why scared?”

“I was afraid...afraid she’d think less of me. Be scared of me.”

“Why better?” 

“Because...telling her was the hardest part. I was glad I got it over with,” he said.

“Was she scared of you? Did she run away?”

“No,” Percy said. “She’s always there.”

“So, you had a nightmare. You did things in your nightmare that scared you. Do you think you’re going to do them in real life?”

“I’d cut my own throat first,” Percy said. “At least, I want to think I would.”

“That’s an interesting distinction,” Berger noted. “Is there any reason you only think you would?”

“In Tartarus...down there, when I attacked Akhlys with poison...I enjoyed it. I liked hurting her. I wanted her to suffer. I wanted to drown her in her own poisons,” he said softly. 

“And why didn’t you?” Berger asked.

“Annabeth...she was...scared of me. Scared of what I was doing.”

“Do you think you would enjoy making a friend suffer like that?” Berger asked. “Your friend Jason, say.”

Percy blanched. “What? No...why would I do that...no!”

“Or, one of the Stoll brothers? Aren’t they always getting in the way? Stealing things at camp? Causing problems? Do you want to punish them?”

“No!”

“Or, what about the gods? Juno, for taking you away from Annabeth?”

Percy fairly shouted. “No! No...I’m...trying to make peace with Ju..Hera,” he admitted softly. 

Berger arched an eyebrow. “Really? Interesting. I suppose I might have to circle back to why you might suddenly be interested in making up with the goddess of marriage. So, if you wouldn’t enjoy hurting them, what made Akhlys different?

“Akhlys was...an enemy. She was trying to kill us,” Percy said.

“Also, you don’t think the fact that she’s the goddess of Misery would have anything to do with it, do you?”

“Well…”

“Mars has an effect on you, right? You get angry when you’re around him.” Percy nodded. “Don’t you think that she might have had an effect on you too? That her desire for misery might have affected you?”

“I…” Percy stopped. He had never considered this.

“And let’s not forget the simple fact that you’d been in Tartarus for what, more than two weeks at that point, that couldn’t possibly have had any effect on your brain function, right?”

“Well…”

“So, you have an enemy. It’s natural to want to hit back. An enemy, I might add, who was the goddess of misery, and enjoys seeing people suffer. Who probably carries an aura of sadism around her like a cloud.” Berger paused. “That sounds like a pretty specific set of circumstances in which you found hurting someone enjoyable.”

“When you put it that way…” Percy trailed off.

“Do you still think you’re going to get enjoyment out of raping Annabeth?” 

Percy blanched. 

“I didn’t think so,” Berger said. “So, we’re back to, you’d rather slit your own throat than hurt her like that, do I have that right?”

Percy nodded. 

“So you know that  _ that’s not you _ . Who you were facing Akhlys, that’s not who you are here, in the mortal realm. Maybe that was some twisted version of you, at the end of your rope, in the deepest depths of Tartarus, surrounded by things that want to kill you in the most painful way possible, not even sure if you’re going to survive the next five minutes, living on adrenaline and drakkon jerky. And even then...did you actually go through with it?”

“No.” Percy whispered. 

“Because…”

“Annabeth.”

“Because Annabeth knew, and knows, that you are fundamentally a good person. If you weren’t, her telling you to stop wouldn’t have mattered a damn. You would have done it anyway. But you didn’t. You were never going to. Just like you’d never hurt anyone up here that you cared about.”

Percy felt some of the tension that had knotted his insides since Sunday begin to release. “Okay.” 

“Feel better?” Berger asked.

“Yes,” Percy said. “That...put a different perspective on it. I hadn’t thought about the fact that she might have been influencing me the way Ares does.” 

“Well, that’s why the Legion pays your health insurance, so you can come see me,” Berger said. “So, talk to me about Annabeth,” he said. “Clearly, things are going well,” he observed clinically. 

“I guess you could say that,” Percy said. “I’m going to ask her to marry me. Officially, that is. I think we’ve known for a while that’s where we’re headed, but I’m going to make it official.” 

“And you’re sure you’re ready for that step?” Berger asked.

“If I wasn’t ready to marry her, I wouldn’t have slept with her,” Percy pointed out. “I mean, I don’t know if you’ve figured this out yet, Doc, but my fatal flaw is loyalty. I don’t think ‘casual sex’ is something that’s in my wheelhouse.”

“Fair enough,” Berger said, holding up his hands defensively. “So have you decided when?”

“No. Planning is...not my strong suite. That’s Annabeth. I’m going to leave my options open and see what happens.”

“Fair enough.”

There was a noise from the waiting area. “That’s probably Annabeth,” Percy said. “Annabeth?” he called. 

She appeared in the office a moment later. She’d must have stopped at the dorm before coming over, since she was dressed in a tanktop and shorts, as befitted the warm May weather. “Hey,” she said, kissing him on the cheek before taking her own seat. “I miss anything exciting?”

“Not much,” Berger said. “I gather Percy already told you about his nightmare. We worked through that.”

“Do you feel better about it?” she asked Percy.

“Yes,” he said. “Much.”

“Good.” Annabeth smiled at him.

“So, Percy told me a little about your adventures this weekend,” Berger said. “You doing okay after running into the Lastragonians?”

Annabeth shrugged. “It's always upsetting to run into monsters. But they weren’t too difficult to deal with.” 

“And things that happened afterwards. It’s a big step forward in your relationship,” Berger noted. “You guys are still okay with it?” Percy noted the question was directed at both of them, but he was looking at Annabeth. That wasn’t an accident, Percy figured.

Annabeth picked up on it too. “Absolutely,” she said. “It’s just a stop on the road to forever, right, Seaweed Brain?” She reached out a hand toward him.

“You bet, Wise Girl,” he replied, taking it and squeezing it. 

“How are you doing, Annabeth?” Berger asked, more directly.

Annabeth sighed. “I’m good. School is kicking my kólo, but I’m managing. Only like a month to go to graduation.”

“And then back to Camp?” Berger asked. 

“At least part of the time,” Annabeth said.

“Oh?” Berger asked. 

“I might do a two week internship at an architecture firm. At least, I hope I might. The interview went well.”

“That would be wonderful,” Berger said. He looked at Percy “Are you going to stay at Camp?”

Percy shrugged. “Maybe. Annabeth will be busy, and there’s not much to do in the city, except drive my mom nuts. And then Annabeth can stay with Mom and Paul and Estelle. And I won’t have to sleep on the couch.”

“Your mother wouldn’t let you share?” Berger asked.

Percy glanced at Annabeth. “I wouldn’t want to push it. She’s tolerant, but I don’t want to press our luck.” 

“Fair enough,” Berger said. “All right, you two, you have better things to do than be here on a day this gorgeous. Go on. Go have fun.”

“Thanks, Doc,” Percy said. “That helped a lot today.”

“It’s what I’m here for,” Berger said. 

Annabeth led Percy out to the waiting room. There were two duffel bags in the chairs in the waiting room. “What are those?” he asked.

“One’s my bag to go back to your place,” she said. “The other….” she pulled open the zipper. Inside were towels, and a pair of board shorts he recognized as his own. She pulled down the strap of her tank top far enough so he could see she was wearing a bathing suit underneath. “Coney Island’s only 10 more stops down the D train. Whaddya say?”

“I’d say you’re speaking my language,” he said with enthusiasm. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The author is found at: theauthor@no2ticonderoga.com


	28. 28: Annabeth

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone! I'm back!
> 
> Sorry for the delay! Circumstances beyond everyone's control, but hopefully the pace will pick back up again. I'm currently writing chapter 46, and I have at least 3 short alternate POV pieces in a separate work that are about ready to go. 
> 
> Do people read these? I hope so, because I have an important announcement.
> 
> I'm going to be switching my username on AO3. Two reasons, really. First, this username is old, and it's anonymity has worn thin in some places. This new username will provide me an extra layer between me and my RL persona. (So, if you happened to know me IRL, please, keep this change under your hat. Looking at you, Tuesday Trivia.) 
> 
> Also, it will link up with my new writing blog, which will use the same name. (Brand synergy, yay!) 
> 
> If I'm reading the FAQ about username changes correctly, this shouldn't affect your subscriptions, if you subscribed to the story. It may affect direct links to my author page, but I sincerely doubt anybody does that, but just be aware anyway. Look for the change in the coming week or so, along with new email links and links to my blog and Twitter account. 
> 
> Thanks for reading, and enjoy!

When they arrived at the beach, it was busy, but not crowded. Percy changed in the public bathroom, and they rented a locker to shove the duffle bags in. 

Annabeth laughed as she watched Percy race for the water and dive in. He popped up about 30 feet from shore. Most people were just sticking their ankles in the water, and Annabeth couldn’t blame them. Despite the fact that their air temperature was over 80 today, this early in the season, the ocean water was frigid.

“Come on in!” Percy called, waving her in. He looked like a kid on Christmas morning. How long had it been since he’d been in ocean water, she wondered. His cares and worries seemed so much farther away now. She was pleased with her decision to bring him here. Water always made him feel better. 

“It’s a little cold,” she called back.

“Pfft,” Percy waved this away.

She laughed as he dove under again. She stopped laughing and started sputtering when a large wave came up and caught her by surprise, getting her wet halfway up her torso. “Percy!” she called out, annoyed. Then she felt something grab her leg. She shrieked and went under. It was freezing, but only for a moment. An air pocket formed around her, and she became dry. 

“Hey, Wise Girl,” Percy said, floating alongside her air pocket as they headed out to sea. 

“Seaweed Brain,” she snapped at him. “What do you think you’re doing?”

He looked hurt. “Having fun!” 

“What if someone saw me go under?” she said. “The lifeguard might come try and save me.” 

This thought arrested him for a moment, and he disappeared up to the surface. He returned a moment later, presumably having reconnoitered the beach. “Nah,” he said. “We’re fine. And I did the Mist snappy thing. I’m not as good at it as you, but I just said. ‘Mind your own business’, which is what most people wanted to do anyway.” 

She had to grant him that. “Fine,” she grumbled. “What now?” 

“Let’s go for a ride,” he said. And her air pocket accelerated out to sea on a current, and Percy was right beside her. 

She had no idea how far out they were, but Percy assured her they hadn’t gone too far. Fish and other sea creatures began to school around her bubble and Percy. He began to laugh.

“What?” she asked, a little annoyed at this apparent one-sided conversation. 

“They’re asking if you’re my consort,” he said. “They think you’re beautiful. I happen to agree.” 

“Your  _ consort? _ ” she demanded.

Percy laughed at her indignation. He cocked his head as if listening. “Yeah, they apparently heard a rumor…” he abruptly cut off. 

“Heard a rumor what?” she asked.

“Nothing,” he said. “Just fish being fish. They’re worse than the gossips in the hallways at school, y’know. Here, this is what they’re saying about my brother…” He went on to relay a bawdy story about his half-brother Triton that had her laughing so hard she got a stitch in her side. 

A bottlenose dolphin appeared just then, zooming by her bubble fast enough to rock it slightly, and Annabeth gave a little shriek. Percy laughed. “Show off!” he called toward the mammal, and it turned around and zoomed back. It floated past them more sedately. “Here,” he said to Annabeth, and entered her bubble, wrapping his arms around her. He maneuvered them onto the dolphin’s back, riding it like a horse. She instinctively grabbed the dorsal fin like the pommel of a horse’s saddle, while Percy held her from behind. “Let’s go,” he said, apparently to the dolphin, because they jerked forward as the dolphin used its fin to propel them through the water.

“Hang on!” Percy told her, as they streaked toward the surface. They broke out into open air, riding along the waves like a jet ski. She gave a little shriek as they bounced through the troughs. A ship loomed ahead of them, a towering cargo ship. They bounced through the ship’s wake, and Annabeth gasped as they streaked by the hull, almost close enough to touch it. 

Then they dove under again, turning away from the ship. “That was incredible,” she said. 

“Andy’s going to take us back,” Percy said.

“Andy?” she asked, incredulous.  _ A dolphin named Andy? _ It just seemed so...normal. 

“Yeah, that’s his name,” Percy explained. “It’s the air bubble. It’s killing his hydrodynamics,” he said.

“Okay,” she said. They rode with Andy a bit longer, and then he slowed down. She had no idea where they were, but presumably they were near where they went into the water in the first place. Percy would know. That caused her a flicker of her old annoyance and jealousy. She’d always hated feeling like she needed help to get places. She was supposed to be the one to figure things out. Percy's powers always made her a little jealous. It was quickly suppressed as they dismounted from Andy. Annabeth ran her hand along his side and patted him. “Thank you for a great trip.” 

She heard him chatter something in dolphin. Percy translated. “He says it was an honor,” he said. “He thinks you’re very nice.” 

“Well, the feeling’s mutual,” she said, and then she giggled. “Maybe I’ll throw you over for him.” 

“In your dreams, Wise Girl,” he said, and then he kissed her. 

After a moment she pushed him away gently. “Enough of that,” she said breathlessly. “We should probably get to land and find some dinner.” 

His stomach growled audibly enough that Annabeth even heard it in their air bubble. “Good plan,” he said, and he propelled them toward shore.

They emerged exactly where they’d gotten in, and climbed out of the water. Annabeth shivered as they did so, she’d gotten wet again. Percy, of course, was dry instantly. He noticed her dripping hair, and reached over and ran a finger along her upper arm, and the water just fell off her. She felt herself breakout in goosebumps as he did so. It was really not fair. 

“Where do you want to try and find food?” he asked.

“I heard there are some food trucks in one of the parking lots,” she said. “Let’s try there.” 

“Okay,” Percy said. “As long as there aren’t any creepy fortune tellers with weed whackers."

They found the food trucks and they got food. Percy naturally gravitated toward the truck that served up everything deep fried. Annabeth found a truck that had wraps and got herself an avocado chicken wrap. Percy’s entree was buried under a mountain of french fries. They sat on a bench and ate their food. 

“Want to hit the midway after we eat?” Percy asked.

“Sure,” she said.

Their first stop was the bumper cars, which, she realized afterwards, had been a mistake. They’d climbed into cars on opposite sides of the floor, Percy grinning at her. She’d given him the ‘I’m watching you’ sign with her fingers, just as the cars had started up. She’d deftly mauvered her car away from the scrum, but just before she’d caught up with him, she’d been t-boned by a 12 year old wearing a Giants hat. She ground her teeth, and tried to reverse, but she’d been hit from behind. 

“Heya, Wise Girl, where’d you get your driver's license?” he taunted. 

She felt her competitive juices rise, as she twisted the wheel. “You’re going to eat those words, Seaweed Brain.”

“Only if you can catch me,” he bantered back as he accelerated away. 

She refrained from tossing a final taunt at him, out of respect for the small children on the ride. She just accelerated.

Unfortunately, he always seemed to be just out of reach of her. And every time she lost track of him, he was  _ there _ , in her blind spot. When the electricity shut off, she was thoroughly annoyed. She climbed out of her car, and Percy met her at the exit gate. “I think I had you by a count of 6 to 1,” he said, gloating a little.

“Whatever, Seaweed Brain,” she said.

He must have read something in her tone, because his face fell from a merry grin to the hang-dog look he got when he was disappointed. “I’ll make it up to you,” he said. “C’mon.” He took her arm and dragged her down the midway. They fetched up in front of one of those carnival games where you have to shoot a water gun to blow up a balloon. 

“Percy, what are you…?” she said, as he paid the barker. He grinned at her, and took up his water pistol. He winked at her. “No, don’t,” she ordered. The alarm bell rang, and Percy casually took aim with his water gun. Without appearing to try, his water stream went directly into the clown’s mouth, blowing up the balloon in record time. When it popped, the game stopped, and the bored looking barker, who didn’t seem phased at all, offered Percy his choice of prizes. 

“Which one do you want?” he asked.

“Percy, you cheated,” she hissed at him. 

“I’ll take that one,” he said, pointing to the large stuffed turtle. The barker handed him the turtle, which he offered to her. She rolled her eyes at him. He really could be insufferable sometimes.

“You cheated,” she accused.

“I...may have improved my chances,” Percy admitted. 

“You shouldn’t do that,” she pointed out. “It’s not fair to the others.” 

She stared at it. A part of her brain was telling her that she was being irrational, but after the drubbing he’d given her at the bumper cars, she was still feeling a bit annoyed at him. Him cheating didn’t help. It was like he was just intent on rubbing her face in all of his powers this evening. “I don’t have any room for that in my dorm,” she said. “Take it home to Estelle.”

His face quirked, like he was exasperated with her, but he said. “Okay.”

She still held his hand as they walked down the midway, though, and they came across a ring toss game. She felt her spirits rise a little. “Can we do this one?” she asked.

“Ring toss?” he was surprised. “Sure.” He led them over and paid the barker. 

Annabeth took the rings from the barker, and she noticed that she handed some to Percy too. “Are you playing too?” she asked.

“Why not?” he said. 

She felt her competitiveness rise to the surface again. “Just be prepared to be embarrassed. I am  _ deadly _ at ring toss.” 

“Bring it,” he grinned at her.

The bell rang and they began to toss the rings. Percy’s rings bounced off bottle lips, but Annabeth rang three of her five rings. Her spirits soared. “Ha,” she said, triumphantly.

“Whaddaya want?” The barker had a Jersey accent you could cut with a knife. 

“Um,” Annabeth looked at the prize chart. She pointed to a small teddy bear. “That one,” she said.

The barker handed it over, and Annabeth took it. She looked at it and the turtle. 

“Feel better now?” Percy asked.

“Yeah,” she admitted. She took a breath. “I’m sorry I kinda went off the rails back there,” she said. 

“Hey,” Percy said, bumping her hip with his. “I’m fully familiar with your fatal flaw,” he said. “You’re not quite as bad as those Nike girls,” he continued. “But sometimes, when the mood strikes you, you get all…” he waved his arms. “balrgh!” 

She snorted. “I do not,” she retorted, but she felt her face flush, because she knew he was right.

“I should have known better not to gloat about the bumper cars,” he went on. “I could tell you were upset about it.”

“I just couldn’t get through to you!” she vented. “All those damn kids kept getting in the way, and spoiling my approach, and…” she glanced at Percy, who was pressing his lips together very hard. “You’re laughing at me,” she said. 

“No. No, I am not,” he bit out, and then went back to holding his lips together. 

But the expression on his face and the dawning realization of how ridiculous she sounded finally penetrated, and she giggled. He snorted. She guffawed. He cracked and laughed, and then they were laughing so hard they had to sit on a bench.

“I’m sorry,” she said, finally, catching her breath. “I guess I was just feeling a little sorry for myself this evening. You got to do all these crazy things, like talk with the dolphin…

“Andy.”

“Andy, and dry me off with a touch, and breathe underwater, and then you cheated at the game, and…”

“And you were feeling sorry for yourself, and you couldn’t even beat me at the bumper cars?” he said. He put his arm around her, and she leaned into him.

“Yeah,” she admitted.

“It’s okay, Wise Girl, I still love you.”

“I feel terrible. Today was supposed to be about making you feel better, and I messed it all up."

"Pftt. Don't worry about it. Just spending time with you makes me feel better," he said, squeezing her shoulders.

She felt herself warm at his compliment, but continued "Can I make it up to you?” she asked.

“How?” he looked down at her.

She pointed. “Want to make out at the top of the Ferris Wheel?” 

“Good plan,” he agreed, standing and tugging her to her feet.

They did indeed make out at the top of the Ferris Wheel, which left them both flushed and exhilarated - _ not to mention horny- _ by the time the ride operator let them off. But by then, it was time to head back uptown. They retrieved their duffle bags from the lockers, and made their way to the subway. “You should take this bear to Estelle, too,” Annabeth said. 

“Nah,” Percy said with a grin. “I think you should keep it. A reminder that your fatal flaw still gets the best of you sometimes.”

She squeezed his hand. “Not a bad idea,” she said. She could tuck it up on the shelf behind her desk. It would be a good reminder. 

Despite the fact that they'd had a good evening, by the time she’d gotten back to the dorm she was already regretting her impulse to play hooky. Her eyes were swimming in the history reading she was attempting. She’d read the same passage over and over again, but it still wasn’t making sense. She threw the book down on her bed in disgust. 

“You okay?” Kirsten asked. 

“Can't seem to focus tonight," she said. "I have so much to do, but I can't seem to do anything."

"Need a brain break?"

"I went to Coney Island with Percy this afternoon. I don't have time for a brain break."

"C'mon, Annabeth," Kirsten said. "We're, like, four weeks from graduation. You can slack off a little. What are you working on?"

“History reading,” she said. “We have a test on Thursday.” 

Kirsten made a dismissive gesture. “You know it well enough,” she said. “You’ve said before that the lectures are just previews of the readings anyway. Put it up, and quit beating yourself up.”

Annabeth sighed, and sat up, “Fine.” 

“That’s my girl,” Kirsten said. “So how was Percy this afternoon?” she asked.

“Better, after I saw him. He…” she hesitated. “He still occasionally has some nightmares and flashbacks from that incident when we were kids,” she explained. “He had a bad one on Sunday night. He’s been a little on edge the last couple days, but he saw his therapist this afternoon and it helped. Going to the beach helped too. Percy loves the ocean.”

“That sucks,” Kirsten said. “But I’m glad he’s doing better.”

“Me too,” Annabeth said. “I think the senior year stress was just catching up with him,” she said. 

“With all of us,” Kirsten sighed. “I’m looking forward to the weekend, though. Prom should be a blast.”

“How come you didn’t get a date?” Annabeth asked. 

Kirsten waved airily. “I don’t need a date to have a good time,” she said. “I’m just looking forward to hanging out and dancing. A date would just get in my way.” There was something hollow about that pronouncement, but Annabeth couldn't quite out her finger on it. She let it go. 

“So, it will just be Percy and Anthony, then,” Annabeth said. “Unless Ava has a date that she never told anyone about.”

Kirsten shook her head. “No, Ava isn’t that sneaky. She and I are going stag.” Kirsten flopped on her bed. “So, are you looking forward to getting out of there?” she asked.

“Yes,” Annabeth said. “You?”

“Yes...and no. High school has been a safe place for me. I’m worried about the real world,” Kirsten said. “It’s scary out there.”

This was one of those instances where demigods and mortals could never really connect. Paying bills, and student loans and getting a job...those seemed like minor concerns after say...Tartarus. But Annabeth could sympathize with what Kirsten was saying. “I do worry about getting a job,” she said

“Yes, but you at least know what you’re going to do. You’re going to be an architect, you’re going to build things. I’m going to Cornell to study women’s studies, or poly sci, and hopefully a law degree and then I have no clue what I’m going to do...like, I’m going to come out of my education with like, a hundred thousand dollars worth of debt, and no idea how I’m going to pay it off.” Kirsten’s parents were mid-level Connecticut bankers, who could barely keep Kirsten at the Forester School with the scholarship she’d earned. Cornell was beyond them without loans. 

"Well, you'll have your law degree," Annabeth said.

"Assuming I can find something that I want to do that will pay me enough to pay off my loans. I want to make a difference in the world. I don't want to end up a corporate hack, because I need the money." Kirsten sighed and rolled over on her bed to stare at the ceiling. 

“Why didn’t you go somewhere less expensive, then?” Annabeth asked.

Kirsten sighed. “I always dreamed of going to Cornell, and then to Columbia law. It’s been my one overriding goal since I was about 13. Ever since I learned it was where RBG went. 

“RBG?” Annabeth asked.

“Ruth Bader Ginsberg, the Supreme Court Justice?”

“Oh, right,” Annabeth said quickly, “Sorry.”

“Anyway,” Kirsten said. “I’ve wanted to go there for years. I just...it would be heartbreaking to give up on my dream now. When it’s so close.”

Annabeth nodded. “I can understand that,” she said. “I don’t know that I could just give up on being an architect, no matter what obstacles were.”

“See, you understand then,” Kirsten said. She sighed. “I am jealous of you, Annabeth. You seem like you’ve got it all figured out.”

“I do not,” Annabeth protested. 

“Really?” Kirsten said. “From where I sit, you’ve checked all your boxes. You know where you’re going to college. You know what you’re going to do there. You know what you want to do after. You even know the boy you’re going to marry. Sounds to me like the only thing you don’t know is where you’re going after college, but, let’s face it, they need architects everywhere.”

“That’s…” Annabeth trailed off.

“I’m not mad,” Kirsten assured her. “You’re just a whole heck of a lot more put together than a lot of kids our age.” 

Annabeth didn’t know if that was true or not. Maybe it was true from Kirsten's perspective, but she certainly didn’t feel that way. It was food for thought, however. 

“What about Percy?” Kirsten asked. “What’s he going to do?”

Annabeth considered. “He wants to study Marine Biology at college. He really likes the ocean. Though he’d probably major in swimming or surfing if they’d let him.” 

“Does he know what he’s going to do after?” Kirsten asked.

Annabeth shook her head. “I don’t think so,” she said. “I’m hoping that maybe college will help him figure some things out,” she said. “He’s...nervous about it. More than I am, I guess,” she realized. She pondered this fact for a moment, and realized it was something she should really discuss with him. Was he feeling left out? Or left behind? She thought about what he’d said about building a place at camp, where they could be safer. 

“Well, I guess we’ll all figure it out,” Kirsten said, yawning. “I’m going to go take a shower and then go to bed. I have to store up my beauty sleep for Friday night,” she said.

“Good plan,” Annabeth agreed. She also yawned. Damn things were contagious. Maybe sleep was a good idea. 

She felt better the next morning when she went off to class. It didn’t register that Dr. Bergeron was standing in the doorway to her AP Calculus class, until he called her name.

“Miss Chase,” he called.

She jerked out of reverie. “Yes?”

“Mr. Paris says he can spare you for a few minutes. Come with me, please.”

Annabeth was a little startled, and started thinking back to see if there was anything she’d done lately that she could remotely be in trouble for. She followed Dr. Bergeron to his office. The office of the Assistant Head of School was located in the same building as her Calc class, but one floor up. It was a spacious office suite. He led her past his receptionist and into his office. It was a moment before she realized there was someone else in the office. It was a woman she didn’t recognize. She was sharply dressed in what Annabeth was becoming aware was NYC business formal. And expensive. This was clearly not a woman to be trifled with. 

“Annabeth, this is Ms. Timlin,” Dr. Bergeron introduced the woman. Annabeth shook her hand and tried to hide her surprise. Ms. Timlin was a managing partner at the architecture firm that Annabeth had applied for a summer internship at. She was well known in the NYC architecture community, and one of the people Annbeth looked up to as not taking in any bullshit in a profession that was still dominated by men. 

“It’s an honor to meet you,” Annabeth said. 

“Likewise,” Ms. Timlin said. 

“Won’t you both take a seat,” Dr. Bergeron said, gesturing at the comfortable sitting area on one side of the large office.

Annabeth perched gingerly on the leather armchair. “Annabeth, I’ll get to the point,” Ms. Timlin said, sitting down. “I’m sure you have classes you need to return to.” Annabeth just nodded. “Your application for our internship program this summer was remarkable.You impressed our interview committee, but what was truly remarkable was your portfolio. The selection committee has rarely seen anything like it. They sent it directly to me for review. That’s why I decided to come myself. I wanted to meet you.”

“Thank you,” Annabeth said faintly. 

“Your designs are incredible,” she said. “Your blend of classical and modern elements is so unique. We rarely see young architects who have such a clear passion for classical architecture. Everyone today is obsessed with the modern, but there is something to be said for appreciation of our forebears. I was especially impressed with your design for...well, I don’t know what else to call it except a temple. Such strong modernist lines, but with a clear connection to the classical. I adored the columns on it. It was gorgeous, but captured a real sense of...intellectualism while being beautiful.”

Annabeth had included her design for her mother’s temple in her portfolio, without putting a name on the design. “T...thank you,” she stammered.

“I understand from Dr. Bergeron you will be studying architecture in college next fall.”

“Yes, ma’am,” she said.

“Well, it should go without saying that the summer internship position is yours. What I’m here for, actually, is to offer you one for next year as well. We were so impressed that we’d like to bring you back for the full summer next year, and if that goes well, we can discuss further then.”

“Ms. Timlin, I...I don’t know what to say,” Annabeth could barely breathe. Being invited for a full summer internship before she’d even started college, she could hardly believe it. 

“Say yes, dear,” Ms. Timlin said. “Women in our profession have to grab opportunities with both hands. And you strike me as someone who is used to getting what she wants in life.”

Annabeth nodded. “I am honored,” she said. “I look forward to it a great deal.”

“Excellent.” She handed Annabeth an envelope from her purse. “The details about this summer’s internship are in there. When you come in this summer, we’ll set up a meeting to discuss the details of your college work next year, and next summer’s work. I’ll look forward to it.”

She rose, and Annabeth rose. “I will as well,” Annabeth said. 

“Stay for another moment, Annabeth,” Dr. Bergeron said. “I’ll show you out, Ms. Timlin,” he said. Annabeth waited, unsure of whether to sit or remain standing. Dr. Bergeron was gone only a few moments, then returned. “The school is very proud of you, Annabeth. That’s quite an honor.”

“Thank you, Dr. Bergeron,” she said.

“Just one more thing, Annabeth,” he drew another envelope from his desk. “You’ve been a credit to our school since you arrived. I know that you had some trouble last year, but even still, your grades have been impeccable. You’re going to finish in the Top 10, which means that you are invited to our annual Top 10 dinner.” 

Annabeth took the envelope. “Thank you,” she said.

“You need to invite a teacher who has had an impact on you, to introduce you,” Dr. Bergeron said. “And of course, your family will be welcome to attend as well.”

“My..um...dad’s in California,” she said. “He’s coming for graduation, but I don’t know if he can come out before that. If he can’t come, can I invite my boyfriend’s family?” 

Dr. Bergeron nodded. “That would be fine,” he said. “It’s certainly nicer than having to come alone.”

“Yes,” she agreed. 

“Congratulations, again Annabeth. We will miss you here at Forester.”

“Thank you, Dr. Bergeron.”

“Mrs. O’Sullivan will write you a pass back to class,” he said. “Enjoy the rest of your day!”

She nodded, gathered her things and hurried back to class.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Reach the author at TheAuthor@no2ticonderoga.com


	29. 29: Percy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so it seems like everybody found me okay under the new username. 
> 
> You can also find me online at no2ticonderoga.com, where I'm starting a writing website for various bits and bobs I've worked on, and in some cases still working on. You can also find me on Twitter @No_2Ticonderoga
> 
> This chapter is shorter than some, sorry about that. But the next several are Annabeth's prom and they're longer and more involved, so hopefully that makes up for it. Keep your eyes peeled!

“Hi, Mom,” he called. “I’m home.” He let his backpack down on the floor with a thud. 

“Oh, good,” she said, coming out into the kitchen. She was carrying his sister. “I have to run an errand,” she said. “Can you watch Estelle for me? Paul won’t be home for a while yet.”

“Of course!” he said, holding out his arms. “When have I ever turned down spending time with my baby sister?” he asked, rhetorically. He took her from mom, putting her up on his shoulder where she promptly began gumming his shirt. 

His mom smiled at him, and kissed him on the cheek. “Thanks, Big Brother,” she said. “I’ll be back in a bit.”

“Whatever you need, Mom. We’ll be here.” Estelle gurgled happily as if in agreement. 

Estelle giggled at him as he airplaned her back out to her playmat in the living room. He laid her down on her back, looking up at the dangling toys, and lay down next to her. She burbled as she reached her chubby little hands toward the variously shaped colorful fish. This playset had been Percy’s choice. “You like the yellow fishy, huh?” he said. “C’mon, you can grab it!”

Estelle made a pass at it. She didn’t grab it, but she touched it enough to set it in motion and jingle the bell inside. “There you go!” he encouraged her. “You get that yellow fishy!” he studied it. “Probably supposed to be a koi, but the proportions are all wrong,” he said. “That’s okay though, it jingles. Most fish don’t do that.” She made another swipe at the fish while blowing some bubbles. “Though in most cases it would be an improvement,” he said. “They all have potty mouths, all of them. Mom would go ape if she knew what they said all the time.” Estelle continued to burble and bat at the various fish.

Percy laid on the floor and watched her, entranced with her. He’d been amazed by her from the moment she’d first arrived, this small human. Percy hadn’t had much experience with babies. It had all been so much of a surprise to him when he’d arrived home from Greece, for the first time since Christmas, to discover that his mom was already pregnant and Estelle was on her way. And of course, it was a little strange to have a sibling 17 years younger. His mom had only been a little older than Percy was now when she’d had Percy. It was something his mom liked to remind him of, when she was feeling like he needed a reminder to be responsible in his relationship with Annabeth. The phrase “she doesn’t need to grow up with her niece or nephew” may or may not have passed his mother’s lips more than once as of late. 

What Percy found really fascinating was watching her interact with the real world for the first time. She was so innocent, and there was so much good stuff in her future, with his mom and Paul. She was going to have a normal childhood...well, as normal as could be with him as an older brother. She was going to get all the things he never had as a kid. One school, every year. Real friends from a young age. No prophecies to fulfill. No monsters to dodge. It almost made his heart ache to think about. 

She started to fuss a little, so Percy picked her up and set her in his lap. She waved her little arms up at his face, and he leaned down so she could find his cheeks. They were a little stubbly this evening. Percy was a little annoyed that his facial hair was so patchy. "Is your big brother scratchy today?" he asked her. "Big brother is annoyed that he somehow didn't get his Dad's epic beard. So not fair. But I guess it's okay. Annabeth says she wouldn't like it anyway."

There was an abandoned glass of water on the coffee table. Probably his Mom's. Nursing made her thirsty. Percy concentrated on it, and the water came rising out of the glass, forming a perfect sphere. He called it to his hand, and held the sphere there. "Do you like the water, Estelle?" He asked. He took her hand and touched it to the jiggling sphere. She looked surprised, but giggled a little as he tossed the globe like a ball and caught it again. He danced it around her head, and she took little swipes at it, giggling all the time. “Your brother loves water. I can’t wait to take you to the beach this summer,” he said. “You’re going to love it. Do you want to ride a dolphin? I bet you do.”

She managed to swipe her hand through the water, and pulled away, startled by being wet. She looked very confused. “Did you startle yourself?” he laughed. “You weren’t expecting that, were you?” He put the water back in the glass. Estelle looked disappointed for a moment, but then turned her attention to something else. Percy sighed and set her back down on the floor on her playmat again. “I’m going to get a Coke, munchkin. I’ll be right back.”

When Percy was in the kitchen he heard the door open. “Back already mom?”

“No, it’s just me,” it was Annabeth. She set her bag down by the door with a thump. 

“Hey, Wise Girl. What’s up?” he said. 

“I came to pick up my dress for Friday. Your mom said she was picking up the dry-cleaning today.” She had changed before coming over and was wearing shorts and a tank top. 

“Oh, maybe that’s the errand she went to go run when I got home,” he said. She entered the kitchen and crossed the room to give him a kiss. “Mmm,” he said, holding her. “Want to come play with Estelle with me?” 

“Duh,” she said. And she turned on her heel and headed for the living room.

And so that’s how his mom found them when she came back with Annabeth’s dress and Percy’s tux. Laying on the floor with Estelle between them, taking turns letting her catch their hands. 

“You two are adorable,” his mom said. Percy got up and helped her hang the clothes up in the hall closet. 

“Thanks,” Annabeth said.

“Are you staying for dinner?” Sally asked. 

“Of course,” Percy said. 

“Annabeth can answer for herself,” his mom scolded him.

“If it’s okay,” Annabeth said, with a grin and a roll of her eyes at Percy.

“Of course, dear,” Sally said. “We’re having chicken casserole tonight.” 

“Oh, awesome,” Annabeth said. “That’s a great recipe.”

“Thank you, dear,” Sally said.

Percy and Annabeth took turns amusing Estelle and doing homework while his mom got dinner ready. Paul came home, and they all sat down to dinner together.

“Sally, Paul, can I ask you something?” Annabeth said, after they’d all gotten a chance to get food.

“Sure, what’s up, Annabeth?” Paul asked.

“I’m going to graduate in the Top 10, and the Top 10 graduates have to go to a special dinner. We’re supposed to invite our families, and my Dad is already coming out for graduation, so he’s probably not going to come out a second time. Would you guys like to come with me?”

“We’d be honored, Annabeth,” Mom said. “Of course we’ll come. When is it?”

“It’s June 10th,” Annabeth said. His Mom looked at Paul, who glanced over his shoulder at the calendar on the wall. It was covered in various colored scribbles. He studied it for a moment. “I think I’m good,” Paul said. 

“What about me?” Percy asked.

“I assumed you’d be coming, Seaweed Brain,” Annabeth said. “Regardless.”

“Oh, that’s all right then,” Percy said. 

“It’s wonderful of you to ask us,” Sally said. “I’m so very proud of you.”

“That’s quite an achievement,” Paul said. “You should be very proud.”

Annabeth took a breath. “And there’s something else,” she said. And she told them about her visit with Ms. Timlin and the internship.

“Wise Girl, that’s amazing! I knew you could do it!” Percy exclaimed. “I’m so excited for you!” He squeezed her hand under the table. 

“That’s pretty spectacular,” Paul agreed. “This summer, and next summer, too. That’s incredible.”

“We’re so proud of you, Annabeth,” Mom said. “I think we should all go out for ice cream after dinner to celebrate.”

There was general agreement. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Email at TheAuthor@no2ticonderoga.com


	30. 30: Annabeth

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for the patience everyone! The next chapter is already beta'd and in final draft form, so look for it within 48 hours! Hopefully by that time, we'll get a couple more into shape.
> 
> Also, want to give a shout out to waddled and the Apartment 305 series. I'm not usually an AU kinda guy, but it's brilliant. And she took a inspiration from a comment I left and wrote a whole chapter about it, so that was cool! Go take a look. It's well worth your time.

On Friday, the Forester School had a half-day, so its students could get ready for prom. Ava had been true to her word and set up a joint appointment for all the girls to get mani/pedis and their hair and makeup done that afternoon. Her father had even provided a car to chauffeur them around for the afternoon. They were driven to a discrete spa/salon whose lack of outdoor advertising spoke volumes about it’s price and exclusivity. Annabeth hadn’t ever had a pedicure before, at least not in person. She’d realized at some point last weekend at the hotel that Aphroditie’s blessing from her compact had extended to a pedicure. She’d been too keyed up before the dance in getting ready to notice. 

The spa had been very gracious to the four girls, ushering them into a private room, where they were treated to a mask facial while their attendants scrubbed and pumiced their feet. Annabeth had never done anything like this before, though both Rachel and Piper had been threatening to take her for a couple years now. 

“Is this your first time, sweetie?” her technician asked. 

“Yes,” Annabeth admitted.

“Wait, you’ve never done this before?” Ava asked, from the chair next to her.

“No,” Annabeth said. “It’s never been…”  _ something I cared about  _ seemed a churlish thing to say, under the circumstances, so she continued, “something I had the opportunity to do.”

“It’s a pity we don’t have more time,” Ava said. “They give heavenly massages here. My mom and I try to come once a month.”

“Do they do couples massages?” Kirsten asked. “You could come back with Percy,” she suggested to Annabeth.

“Oh, they do. Mom and Dad come once in a while,” Ava replied. “That would be a great idea, Annabeth. Didn’t you say your anniversary with Percy is in August? You could come for your anniversary.” 

“Oh, yes,” Kassandra agreed. “You have to.”

“I don’t know that Percy’s a massage kind of guy,” Annabeth said. 

“Everyone loves a massage,” Ava said. “It’s totally worth it.”

Annabeth wasn’t so sure, but she made a noncommittal noise, and the conversation flowed on. She had to admit that her feet felt great. While their toes were drying, other spa employees came in to do their manicures. 

“What do you do with your hands, dearie?” the woman who was working on Annabeth asked. “You have all these little scars and these callouses.”

“Oh, she’s a big outdoors type,” Ava told the woman, before she could answer. “Rock climbing and stuff.” Annabeth smiled weakly.

“You’d never know it from looking at her,” Kirsten added. “Always with her nose in a book.”

“So,” Ava said, turning to Kassandra. “Tell us about Anthony. What do we need to know for tonight?”

“Well,” Kassandra said. “He’s cute,”

Kirsten snorted. “Well, duh, we’ve seen his picture. Tell us about him. What’s he do? What’s he like?”

“He’s quiet. A little shy,” Kassandra admitted. “At least at first. He’s really funny once you get to know him,” she said. 

“What’s he into?” Kirsten asked. “Like, what does he do for fun?”

“He plays lacrosse,” Kassandra said. “But he’s not a lax bro,” she added quickly.

“How can he play lacrosse and not be a lax bro?” Kirsten asked. 

“He’s not, like, a jock,” Kassandra explained. “He doesn’t hang out with that crowd. Like I said, he’s a bit shy.”

“Where did you guys meet?” Annabeth asked.

“Oh, we grew up on the same street,” Kassandra said. “We went to elementary and middle school together. Then my parents decided to send me here. They thought it would be good for me to experience the City.” When Kassandra said ‘the City’, she meant it the same way people in London did: the financial heart of New York. The banks, and the trading institutions, and all that.

“What is it your parents do again?” Kirsten asked.

“My mom mostly stays at home. Dad is the senior VP for investment strategies at Prudential,” Kassandra said.

“So why do you live so far out of the city?” Ava asked. “Shouldn’t you guys have a penthouse or something?”

“Dad doesn’t like living in the city,” Kassandra explained. “He can work from home a lot, and when he can’t, he commutes into the city by helicopter, usually two or three times a week. He drives to the local airport and gets an air taxi. The company pays for it.”

“So, he, like, doesn’t actually own a helicopter then,” Kirsten clarified.

“Oh, no,” Kassandra shook her head. “It’s just a really expensive taxi service. But like I said, the company pays the bill.”

“I think that’s a true measure of luxury,” Kirsten said. “It’s not owning stuff. It’s being able to swat away life’s little inconveniences. Don’t like traffic? Take a helicopter. Need something shipped? Send a personal courrier. Need a last minute appointment for four girls at a spa for prom? Cash talks.”

Ava blushed a little. "Well, you're not wrong," she said.

They all giggled. They soon moved on from the spa to the salon part of the facility, where their hair was teased and twirled into place. Annabeth had brought her circlet, which her stylist elegantly wove into her blonde curls. She liked the way it looked in the mirror, but she had to admit that Aphrodite had done a better job last weekend. 

“I wish I had your hair,” Ava sighed, watching Annabeth from her own stylist’s chair.

“What?” Annabeth was startled. She’d always been insecure about her hair. She’d endured enough ‘dumb blonde’ jokes to last more than one lifetime. She’d toyed with dyeing off and on, but whenever she’d mentioned this to Percy, he’d mumbled something about supporting whatever she wanted to do, but he thought it was fine the way it was. It was clear from what he  _ didn’t  _ say that he hated the idea, but didn’t want to seem controlling. 

“Well, for one thing, that blonde color is just amazing. Everyone can tell a natural blonde from a bottle blonde, and your hair color is just amazing. It’s not fair. It’s like poured honey. And those natural curls you have?” Ava shook her head. “My hair is all brown and always tangled and boring.” 

“You look amazing,” Annabeth assured her.

“You don’t have to make me feel better,” Ava said. “I’ve always been the wallflower,” she said. She shrugged. “Of course, it didn’t help to get sent to an all girls school,” she said. “But at least there’ll be boys at Yale.”

“There was that one boy at the mixer we went to,” Kirsten said. “He was  _ very _ interested in you,” she pointed out. 

“What’s this?” Kassandra asked. “How come we never heard about this?”

“Kirsten, we talked about this,” Ava whined.

“If you’re going to pull the ‘poor little me’ routine…” Kristen said. “I’m going to call you on it.”

“What happened?” Kassandra asked Kirsten.

“There was a boy at one of the mixers we did with the boys’ school. He might have been a year behind us. He came on strong to her. Brought her a drink, and a plate of food. Chatted her up all evening. They even danced.”

“Ava!” Kassanda exclaimed. “What was his name? What didn’t you tell us?”

“He was shorter than me!” Ava said. “He was cute...but, he was like 5 foot even.”

“You guys looked like you had a great time,” Kirsten pointed out.

“Yes, but...look, he was nice and I had a nice time, but I...I couldn’t...and he…”

“He what?”

Annabeth thought she knew, in a flash of insight. “He was moving too fast for you?” she asked. 

Ava nodded, and the stylist tsk’ed at her.

Kirsten nodded. “It’s true, he did come on strong. I didn't see what happened when it was ending, but…"

"I found you and we left and I told you not to talk about it," Ava said. "And I now hate you."

"What happened?" Kassandra asked.

"He tried to kiss me," Ava told her.

"That's not…"

"With tongue. Sloppily," Ava continued.

"Oh."

"It was disgusting. I mean, I would have been okay if he'd just kissed me. But he tried to make out with me in the corner. On the first date. I'm sorry, but that's not who I am,” Ava said. “So, I didn’t text him back.”

“That’s fair,” Kassandra allowed. “I mean, I didn’t kiss Anthony on the first date.”

“Eh.” Kirsten said.

“What?” Ava asked. “Would you have kissed him back?”

“Hey, everybody has their own comfort level and is entitled to it. I’m just saying that if I’d been having that good of a time, I might not have objected to a little tongue action,” she said. She wiggled her tongue in her mouth at them.

“You’re impossible,” Ava said. “I’m still mad at you for telling them.”

“What about you?” Kassandra asked Annabeth.

Annabeth considered her own relationship. The first time she’d kissed Percy...well, the first time had been at Mt. St. Helens….no, actually, the first time had been after the chariot race, and she’d kissed him on the cheek. But that had been...brotherly. The first time she’d kissed him, and meant it had been at Mt. St. Helens. She’d thought he was going to die. But then he hadn’t. And then things had gotten awkward for a while. But then he’d kissed her in the dining pavilion. Or she had kissed him, she wasn’t sure. There hadn’t been any tongue there. But then, when their friends had dumped them in the Canoe Lake....well...they’d made good use of the privacy Percy had granted them. 

Did that make her the kind of girl who made out on the first date?  _ Probably not _ , she decided. Her relationship with Percy was so far outside the realm of normal that she couldn’t judge it by normal standards. 

“Percy and I…” Annabeth said. “It’s complicated.”

“When is it not complicated with you two?” Kirsten asked rhetorically. 

“Never,” Annabeth responded. They all laughed.

“Seriously, though,” Kassandra asked. “How did your first kiss happen?”

“Um.” Annabeth bit her lip. “We were at camp. It was his birthday,” she said. “We’d been...well, sort of dancing around it for a while. And he was finally trying to ask me out, and he complained I wasn’t making it easy for him, and I told him I’d never make it easy for him. Then we kissed, and then all our friends appeared and threw us in the Canoe Lake,” she said, leaving out everything else, like... _many of our friends had just died, and I’d_ _just taken a knife meant for him less than 24 hours before_ …

“Aww, that’s cute,” Ava said. “That’s a fun story.”

“Why’d they throw you in the lake?” Kassandra asked.

“It was kind of an ‘it’s about time’, kind of thing,” Annabeth explained. 

“Ah,” Kirsten said. “That obvious, was it?” 

“Just a little,” Annabeth admitted. “To pretty much everyone but us.”

“That’s always the way,” Ava said.

When they were finished with the stylists, they moved rooms once more, and they had to sit very still while very talented women professionally layered on their makeup. Once again, Annabeth had to marvel at Aphrodite as she looked in the mirror. She’d accomplished more with less. Annabeth looked good, but she felt like the makeup was a little heavier than what she was fully comfortable with. 

When they were all finished, the car took them back to the dorms so they could finish getting dressed. They’d all worn their school button up shirts so they wouldn’t have to take anything off over their heads. For whatever reason, they’d ended up in Annabeth and Kirsten’s room to get dressed. The dorm was buzzing with seniors getting ready. Most girls had their doors open with music pumping into the hall, and wandering back and forth to the communal bathroom in various states of undress. Annabeth had just finished tugging on a fresh set of nylons. The ones she’d worn last week had been a total loss after the battle with the Lastragonians. 

“Annabeth, can you zip me?” Kassandra asked, turning.

Kassandra’s dress was purple, with spaghetti straps. It had a stripe of silver sequins running from one shoulder down to the opposite hip. “Your dress is gorgeous,” Annabeth told her, zipping her up in the back and setting the catch. 

“Thanks,” she said. “Mom and I had fun shopping for it.”

Kirsten’s dress was by far the most daring of the four. It was black with gold trim, with a midriff cut out and a plunging neckline. The slit in the side went almost to her waist, or so it seemed. 

“I hope you got a discount on the dress for all the material it’s missing,” Ava joked, seeing the dress for the first time. 

“FIrst time I’ve ever picked out a dress without my parents looking over my shoulder,” she shrugged. “Go big or go home, right?” She sighed. “I wish the slit wasn’t so high, though. I’d been planning to wear a garter belt and thigh-highs, instead of nylons, but they’d show, and the chaperones would have a fit.”

“Probably,” Kassandra agreed with a giggle. 

Ava finished pulling on her nylons, and then took her dress out of it’s garment bag. It was maroon with sparkles and a fringe around the hem, it looked a bit like a flapper dress. It was strapless, and as Ava had mentioned before, short. “Oooh, that’s pretty. I like the color on you,” Kassandra said.

Ava stepped into it and pulled it up. Kirsten came up behind her and zipped it up. Ava stood in front of the mirror. “Still feel like I’m going to be tugging it down all night,” she said, doing just that.

“Just don’t tug it down too far, or you’ll give everyone a different free show,” Kirsten pointed out. 

“Thanks, now I'll be paranoid all night,” Ava said.

“You’re fine,” Annabeth reassured her. “It’s not as short as you think.”

“Yeah, and at least you have something to hold the dress up,” Kassandra said. “I had to get the strap version, or my dress would just slide right off.”

“You’re fine,” Kirsten said. “You look great.”

“Easy for you to say,” Kassandra snorted. “You’ve got the biggest boobs of any of us.”

“It’s not always as awesome as you think,” Kirsten said. “It’s murder finding a good sports bra.”

Annabath privately agreed. She was not as well endowed as Kirsten, but the value of a good support garment had been proven over and over on quests. Annabeth sat down on the bed to pull on her shoes. She was still trying to figure out how to get her sheath on. If she hadn’t been convinced of the need of it while getting dressed last week, the incident in the elevators had convinced her it was necessary. She was probably going to have to take it down to the bathroom and do it in a stall, she realized.

“When is Anthony getting here?” Ava asked Kassandra.

“He’s already in the city,” she said. “He’s checked into his hotel and is getting dressed.”

“Are you going back there afterwards?” Kirsten asked, even though she knew the answer already.

“No,” Kassandra said, blushing. “I mean…”

“You’re thinking about it,” Kirsten said, lightly teasing. “It’s okay.”

“I don’t...I don’t think I’m ready for that.”

“Just because you go back there doesn’t mean you have to have sex,” Annabeth told her. “You could just go back and hang out.”

“Won’t he expect it, if I say I’ll go back with him?” Kassandra asked.

“Just be up front with him,” Ava said. “Come right out and tell him. He’ll understand.”

“And if he doesn’t,” Kirsten added darkly. “Tell us, and we’ll kick his ass.”

“Percy would help, too,” Annabeth offered. “And believe me, Percy knows a thing or two about ass kicking.”

Kirsten snorted. “As if we’d need help,” she said. “I’d shove my four inch heel so far up his ass.” 

They laughed. Annabeth used the distraction to grab her knife and sheath and duck out to the restroom. By the time she got back, everyone was pretty much ready.

Ava’s parents had also provided a limo to take them to prom. It would take them to pick up Anthony at the hotel and Percy at his apartment, then take them to Central Park, where they would take pictures by the Bethesda Fountain. Ava’s parents would be there and Kassanda’s, who were in town as well as Anthony. Kirsten’s mom was coming, but her dad couldn’t get in from Connecticut. Percy’s mom was going to try to be there, if she could get out of work on time.

They didn’t have to wait long before Ava got the call from the limo company that their driver was here, and they joined the parade of girls headed out to meet their car services, limos, or parents who were picking them up. They found their car, a white stretch Lincoln, and climbed in. There was room for twice their number in the passenger compartment, with a state of the art stereo system, sodas and snacks, and a TV. 

“Now, this is what I call style,” Kirsten announced, taking control of the stereo. She lounged across one of the bench seats that took up one side of the car, draping herself almost indecently across the upholstery. 

They left the school and headed uptown, first picking up Anthony. He was staying at the Holiday Inn Lower East side, not far from the school. He was waiting by the street when they rolled up. He was wearing a standard tuxedo, not color coordinated with Kassandra’s dress, but he looked sharp nonetheless. He was tall and stocky, reminding Annabeth a little of Frank, but not as bulky. His hair was trimmed in a crew cut. The limo driver got out, and opened the door for him, and he hesitantly climbed in, holding Kassandra’s wristlet corsage in it’s plastic box. 

“Anthony!” Kassandra squealed. And she threw her arms around his neck and kissed him, rather chastely, as he sat next to her. “You look amazing, I’ve missed you.”

“I’ve missed you too,” he said. He had a moderate baritone. “You look…” he stumbled for a word. “Fantastic.” He handed her the wristlet, and she smiled winningly at him as she took it out, and slipped it on her wrist. 

“This is Anthony,” Kassandra said, introducing him. “Anthony, these are my friends, Annabeth, Ava and Kirsten.” 

“Hi,” he managed, looking a bit intimidated in the presence of so many females dressed to the nines. 

“Nice to meet you,” Annabeth said.

“Yeah, Kassandra has told us a lot about you,” Kirsten offered. She’d sat up off the bench, now that they were a mixed company.

“All...all...good, I hope,” he stammered. 

“Relax,” Annabeth told him. “We don’t bite.”

The intercom to the driver’s compartment crackled. “Pardon me, can you confirm the next pickup address?” the driver asked.

Annabeth gave him Percy’s address again, and he thanked her and clicked off. 

“I’m glad you could join us,” Ava told Anthony. “It’s going to be a fun night.”

“I..I hope so,” he said. “I’m glad to be here.” Kassandra clung happily to his arm, looking up at him adoringly. He seemed very stiff, but Annabeth remembered what Kassandra had said about him being shy. 

Annabeth and Ava took turns trying to draw him out as they headed uptown to Percy’s apartment, and he was beginning to come out of his shell a bit by the time they got there. Percy was standing on the curb, looking as good as ever in his tux. He had new flowers for her, of course. Percy didn’t bother waiting for the limo driver, he simply gave him a wave as the limo drew to a stop, and let himself in the back. 

“Hey, Wise Girl,” he said. He slid in beside her, and gave her a kiss, rather warmer than the one Kassandra and Anthony had shared.

“Hey, Seaweed Brain,” she replied.

He took the corsage out of its box. “May I?” 

“Of course,” she answered. He slipped it on her wrist and then kissed her knuckles. “You look as gorgeous as ever.” The girls all chorused  _ awww _ at this melodramatic gesture.

She swatted his compliment away, and turned to the rest. “Percy, this is Kirsten, who I think you’ve met once or twice before,” he nodded. “And Ava and Kassandra, and this is Kassandra’s boyfriend, Anthony.”

“Percy,” he said, holding out his hand for Anthony to shake. “This your first time with this crew, too?” he asked.

“Yes,” Anthony replied, perhaps a little relieved to have male company. 

“Cool,” Percy said. “Good to know I won’t be the only one who doesn’t get the inside jokes,” he said.

“I feel like we already know you,” Kirsten said to Percy. “Annabeth has told us a lot about you.”

“Most of it lies, I’m sure,” Percy deadpanned. Annabeth elbowed him in the gut, while trying not to die laughing. He gave her a look that she clearly interpreted as  _ well, it’s true. _ She shot him back a mock glower that was supposed to say,  _ fine, but shut up. _

This interplay went unnoticed, however, while Kirsten and Ava were laughing. “So, was she lying when she said you climbed down a cliff and practically carried her out of a forest when she fell and broke her leg?” Ava asked.

“No,” Percy allowed. “That one was true. I definitely went down there with her.”

“Okay, then,” Kirsten said. “Then it wasn’t all lies, then.”

“I guess not,” Percy allowed. 

“So when are you guys getting married?” Kirsten asked. “I hear you guys are like, tied at the hip or something.”

“Whenever she says she wants to,” Percy shot back. “I’m ready.”

Annabeth felt her face heat up. It was one thing for him to say things like that in front of Rachel or at Camp, but out here in the mortal world…

There was a beat of stunned silence, and then Kirsten laughed, apparently deciding Percy was joking. Or had to be. “I like him, Annabeth. He sounds impulsive. That’s good for you.”

They relaxed and continued drawing Anthony out on the short ride to Central Park. It was interesting to meet her friend’s parents. Ava’s parents had hired a photographer for the occasion, who posed them all in front of the fountain in various ways until they were thoroughly exhausted. Ava’s parents were interesting. Her father would have been indistinguishable from any number of upper class professionals on a casual Friday, dressed in khaki slacks and a polo shirt. But her mother looked like something out of central casting, in her pink dress with matching heels, pearls, a fascinator, and a tiny Scotty dog that she kept in her purse. Ava looked seriously embarrassed by the scene she made. Kassandra’s parents apparently knew Ava’s parents through some business connection, and poor Kirsten’s mother and Sally looked seriously out of place. Annabeth and Percy tried to make sure neither of them got lost in the shuffle, stepping out to take pictures for Sally alone, and also dragging Kirsten over so Annabeth and Kirsten could take a roommate photo. 

Then it was back in the limo for the drive around the corner to the Plaza. 

The hotel where Goode had it’s prom had been nothing to sneeze at, but the Plaza was, well, the Plaza. Annabeth had been a little nervous when she’d first heard their prom would be there. After all, she’d nearly died there two years ago. But all she felt was excitement when the limo pulled up in front. Other limos were arriving, disgorging their well dressed teenage passengers at the Main Entrance, across from the Pulitzer Fountain. The limo driver helped Kirsten and Ava out of the car first, then Anthony got out, and handed Kassandra from the car. Percy went next, and helped Annabeth from the car. 

Annabeth caught Percy’s grimace as he looked up at the hotel. He too, was remembering the last time they were here. She squeezed his hand and smiled at him. “It’s okay,” she said softly. “We survived. Let’s go make some good memories,” she said, and she kissed him on the cheek. He smiled at her and nodded.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Email theauthor@no2ticonderoga.com
> 
> Follow me on twitter! No_2Ticonderoga
> 
> Find my website! www.no2ticonderoga.com


	31. 31: Percy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Birthday Percy!
> 
> (Kinda wish we were one chapter ahead today, because the next chapter would make a better birthday present! But that's all I'm going to say about it!)
> 
> (You guys are going to love the next chapter 😁)

Percy wasn’t thrilled to be back at the Plaza; it brought up bad memories for him. But he knew Annabeth was right; they needed to go make some good memories. He offered her his arm as they headed inside. 

The place really was gorgeous, with it’s old time New York opulence and glory. And the prom was being held in the Grand Ballroom, which was about as Manhattan as you could get. Percy liked what he’d seen of Annabeth’s friends so far. He’d only spoken with Kirsten once or twice, outside the dorm. The others he’d only really met for the first time last weekend when he’d picked Annabeth up, and not really to talk to. He immediately thought of all of them as Athena kids, like they were all siblings on their mom’s side. They had that “academic feel”, though Kirsten gave off a kind of “work hard, play hard” kind of vibe that reminded him acutely of Rachel. Ava certainly could have been Annabeth’s sister, based on the conversations they’d had in the car, in which she’d waxed poetic about English literature and her dreams of becoming a professor. Kassandra hung off her boyfriend the entire time, but then, Percy understood that he didn’t go to school in NYC and they hadn’t seen each other for a while. 

Anthony had been hard to read, but he was an outsider like Percy. It might be nice to talk to him alone, like, if the girls all decided to go to the ladies room at once. 

Percy had thought his own prom was fancy, but this was like, next level. Goode High was generally “upper class” (but with a generous scholarship program; otherwise, he couldn't have gone there, nor Yose, he suspected, but he'd never asked), but the Forester School was “exclusive”. Percy was pretty sure that the only reason Annabeth was there at all was because of her mom, though Percy had never asked who was paying her tuition. 

There was no buffett here, it was strictly table service. And they had assigned seating. They were tables of eight, which meant that they shared the table with another couple, an Indian girl named Nikitha who was friendly with the girls. Percy gathered they shared a lot of classes. She was there with a boy named Shaan, who looked far more comfortable in the upper class surroundings than Percy felt. He was skinny, but attractive, Percy judged, and he was wearing one of those high collared jackets that he recognized from his history textbook. Something about an Indian Prime Minister, but the name escaped him. Nikitha was wearing an elaborate sari-style dress, and had lots of bangles and jewelry. 

“So where do you go to school?” Percy asked him.

“I go to Leman Manhattan,” Shaan said. “How about you?”

“Goode High,” Percy replied. He’d heard of Leman Manhattan. It was also “exclusive.” 

"How do you guys know each other?" Anthony asked. He was warming up a little.

“Our families are friendly,” Nikitha said. “Shaan and I have known each other for a while.”

Something about their body language said that they were not a couple, but just friends hanging out. At least, that’s how Percy read it. He wasn’t sure that Shaan might have hoped that more would come of it than Nikitha. He seemed a bit shy. 

There was an honest-to-gods band playing swing music while they were sitting at their tables. Uniformed wait staff brought out baskets with rolls while the dinner service was still being prepared. Percy was starving, so once the basket had gone around once he asked. “Anyone mind if I take another?” 

Most of them just kind of shrugged, but Annabeth gave him a resigned look. “You’ll have to excuse Percy,” she told the table in general. “He’s a human vacuum cleaner when it comes to food.”

“Hey,” he complained, between bites.

Annabeth gave him a smile. “In all fairness, he’s a competitive swimmer, and he’s still training, so he does need the calories.”

“Oh, a swimmer?” Anthony said. “That’s cool. You raced for your school?”

“Percy won the gold medal at the state meet in the 100 and 200 freestyle, and his team won the 4 x 100 medley relay,” Annabeth announced proudly. “He set a new state record in the 100.” 

“Wow!” Anthony said. “I was on the lacrosse team, and we only made it to the regionals. That’s seriously impressive.”

Percy shrugged. “I like the water.” He was a little embarrassed by the attention. “Always have.” 

“I play cricket,” Shaan offered. 

“That’s cool,” Ava said, “I’ve seen people playing that in places around the city. I’ve never picked up on the rules.”

“It’s a bit like baseball. I watch a lot of baseball on TV,” he explained, passing Nikitha the salad bowl. “It’s my favorite sport besides cricket.”

“Ugh,” Kirsten groaned. “Sports are not my thing.” 

“What do you like to watch on TV?” Anthony asked.

“The Sunday morning political talk shows,” Annabeth answered for her. “That’s her spectator sport.”

“It’s true,” Kirsten shrugged. 

“So, Percy,” Kassandra began. “What’s Annabeth like outside of school? We only see the bookworm.” 

“Brilliant,” Percy answered instantly. “Annabeth’s the planner in our relationship. And she’s really good at it,” he said. “She’s fierce and strong.” He shrugged. “She’s my favorite person in the whole world.”

Annabeth was blushing furiously at this description, but Percy just shrugged at her. “She still is a bookworm. She’s always reading something about architecture. But you should see her when we spar. She can kick my ass most of the time.”

“Annabeth?” Ava was shocked. “You do martial arts?”

“I have a black belt in karate,” Shaan piped up. “What kind?”

“It’s…” Annabeth was floundering.

“Greek,” Percy provided. “It’s kind of an anachronism thing we do at Camp,” he continued. “You know, like the people who dress up in armor and joust.”

“Like a Renaissance Fair?” Kassandra asked. “I’ve been to one of those.”

“Kind of,” Annabeth picked up on Percy’s start and ran with it. “We use blunted blades, of course, but it’s pretty rough and tumble.”

“I can’t picture you doing martial arts,” Ava mused, shaking her head.

“Oh, I can,” Kirsten put in. “I’d be willing to bet there are lots of things under the surface we don’t know about. It’s always the quiet ones you have to watch out for.” 

“Apparently,” Kassandra said. “Now I’m picturing the two you whacking at each other with swords.”

“She’s really good at it,” Percy insisted.

“You’re still better with the sword,” Annabeth offered.. “But I’m better at outthinking you.”

“True, and you can usually get inside my arc with your knife. And let’s not forget your judo flip,” he grinned. 

She blushed. “Well, it must have had an effect,” she continued. “It didn’t happen again.”

“Never,” he promised her.

“Oh, you can’t leave us like that,” Kassandra said. “What’d he do?”

“Percy…” Annabeth hesitated. “Went off alone on a hike and didn’t tell anyone where he was going,” she said. “He was gone so long we’d started sending out search parties. And then he just showed up. When I got through kissing him because I was relieved he was safe, I…”

“Judo flipped me to the ground and made me promise never to leave her like that again,” Percy continued. “The lesson stuck.”

“Badass,” Kirsten said. “You go, girl.” She reached over and high fived a reluctant Annabeth.

“Where are you going to school next year?” Percy asked Anthony. 

“Harvard,” he answered. “How about you?” 

“New Rome University,” Percy said. “Same as Annabeth. Though she’s hoping to be able to take some classes at UC Berkeley that aren’t offered at New Rome.”

“You didn’t tell us that,” Ava said, looking at Annabeth accusingly.

“The college people are still hammering out the details,” Annabeth explained. “It’s just for some specialized architecture classes that aren’t offered at New Rome. They’re just going to be transfer credits.” She gave Percy a look, and he winced. He hadn’t known he wasn’t supposed to bring that up.

“Harvard, huh?” Percy said, flipping the conversation back to Anthony. “What are you planning to study?”

“Pre-law.” He sounded excited. “I’m going to go to law school when I finish undergrad.”

“Anthony wants to go into politics,” Kassandra explained.

“I want to make the world a better place,” Anthony said.

“Don’t we all,” Kirsten snorted. “I hope you do,” she added, perhaps aware her remark might have been insensitive. 

“And what about you?” Percy turned to Shaan. “Where are you off to?”

“Cambridge,” Shaan said. “My parents want me to go to the Mother Country for school.”

“The Mother Country?” Percy asked.

“My great-grandparents were important members of the Indian Civil Service under the British. I don’t think my family has ever gotten over independence.” He shrugged. 

Food began to appear, as if by magic, the same uniformed waiters bringing out trays of gourmet food. The plate looked distressingly bare to Percy. There was a small portion of steak on the plate, sitting in a swoosh of sauce with greens on top. 

His dismay at the portion size must have shown in his face, because Annabeth squeezed his arm, and whispered. “We’ll go for something after this is over,” she promised. 

He shrugged and started in on his food. 

“Are any of you planning to go up to Libby’s suite for the after party?” Nikitha asked.

There was a silence around the table, and even Percy thought it seemed awkward. He glanced at Annabeth who gave a subtle shake of her head. 

“I don’t think so,” Kassandra finally said. “Anthony and I are going to go out for dessert."

“Not really my scene,” Ava added. “I’ll probably go back to the dorm,”

“We’ll see,” Kirsten allowed. “Maybe.”

“Should be a great time. How about you, Annabeth? Percy would be more than welcome!” she said.

“Is there going to be drinking?” Percy asked.

“Well…” Nikitha said, looking around her.

Percy shook his head. “No thanks. I’m not...super comfortable with alcohol. My first step-dad...well,” he trailed off.

Nikitha looked embarrassed at this confession, but Kirsten’s eyes sparked with sympathetic interest here, and Percy felt self-conscious about saying so much. Annabeth held his hand and squeezed it. 

“A boozer, was he?” Kirsten asked.

“Yeah,” Percy admitted. “He...wasn’t a nice guy.”

“Sorry to hear that,” Kirsten said. “I had an uncle that was in the bottle. He was pretty nasty. But my aunt finally got up the nerve to tell him to go fuck himself and got out, thank God.” 

“Gabe was kinda the same way. Fortunately, he left home one day and never came home. We still don’t know what happened to him. My mom got a divorce on abandonment grounds.” Percy didn’t like to talk about Gabe much, but he figured that if he was going to start turning down invitations to events where there would be a lot of drinking, then they should at least know why. 

“Well, that’s good,” Ava said.

“Any guesses on where he went?”

“I always kinda hoped he went into the Hudson, actually,” Percy admitted. Which was the truth. He’d often thought that as a kid. “But ultimately, I don’t care. My new step-dad is totally awesome.”

“What about your Dad?” Kassandra asked. “What happened to him?”

“Oh...he’s around.” Percy waved a hand airily. “I see him once in a while, but he was never really involved. Nice guy, though.”

“Well, that’s good,” Kassandra said. “What does he do?”

“He’s in management. Works for a maritime company. Travels a lot,” Percy lied. He shrugged. “He usually stops by when he’s in town.”

“So, Shaan,” Kirsten said, changing the subject for him, perhaps feeling the conversation was running aground. “What are you planning on studying at Cambridge?” 

“Math,” he declared. 

Nikitha rolled her eyes. “Sure, lean into the stereotype some more,” she groaned. The other girls laughed at what must have been an inside joke. Percy and Anthony just kind of exchanged a blank look, and Shaan looked a little embarrassed.

“What do you do with a math degree?” Percy asked. “I honestly don’t know.”

“My parents want me to go into the family business,” Shaan replied. “We do investment analysis. But what I really want to do is sabermetrics.”

Anthony and Percy both perked up at this. “Hey, that’s cool,” Anthony said. “Like, Billy Beane?”

“Moneyball is an amazing book,” Shaan gushed. “The statistical analyses are just brilliant.”

“I saw the movie,” Percy put in. “My step-dad and I watched on TV once. It was really cool.”

“I know, right?” Anthony agreed. “I’ve been trying to convince my lacrosse coach that we could do something similar with our team, I’ve got some ideas…”

“Didn’t Annabeth tell me that your step-dad teaches at your school?” Ava asked, in an apparent attempt at changing the subject away from sports before the boys took over the conversation. Anthony and Shaan looked disappointed.

“Yeah,” Percy admitted. “He’s an English teacher.”

“That must be weird,” Kassandra grimaced.

“Nah, it’s cool,” Percy said. “He’s a great guy, and we don’t cross paths much now. He teaches mostly underclassmen.”

“He did chaperone prom,” Annabeth pointed out.

“Yeah, but only the check in table and security. He wasn’t actually in at the dance part. He was outside, making sure people who left didn’t re-enter,” Percy explained. 

“That’s not so bad,” Kirsten agreed. 

“He and mom are great together,” Percy said. “He makes her happy, and that’s good enough for me.”

The wait staff had begun clearing plates, and the swing band had given way to a more conventional DJ. Nikitha and Shaan excused themselves to head off to join a different crowd at another table. Kirsten led the way to the dance floor, and everyone else perforce followed. 

The music was good, as Percy again appreciated the way that the girls seemed to instinctively know how to move to the music. Percy gamely tried to keep up. Anthony seemed about as stiff as Percy felt, which made Percy feel better. They danced and shimmied their way through some of the same songs they had the week before, but they didn’t care. The first slow dance song that came on was Billy Joel’s  _ This is the Time _ . Annabeth wrapped her hands around his neck, and Percy held her close as the dance floor mostly emptied. There seemed to be fewer couples here, maybe because it was an all girls school, there were fewer serious relationships and more “dates”, Percy thought. In any case, he did feel a little exposed. 

Annabeth made him forget that as she smiled up at him. “Hey, Seaweed Brain,” she whispered.

“Hey, Wise Girl,” he said back.

“You look amazing tonight,” she announced.

“You don’t look so bad yourself,” he told her.

She shrugged a little. “Not as good as last week. Ava’s salon did an OK job, but it’s not the Aphrodite touch.”

“She’d be thrilled to hear you say that,” Percy chuckled. “I’d say it would go to her head, but I don’t know how much bigger it could get.” 

Annabeth giggled. “True.” 

“Your friends are staring at us,” Percy noted as they turned. He could see Ava and Kirsten chatting by the table. 

“Are you sure they’re not watching Kassandra and Anthony?” she asked. “Probably analysing their body language while they dance.”

“Maybe,’ he admitted. “They’re looking in this direction, though. I’m not sure where they are,” he said.

“Behind you,” Annabeth explained. She took the lead in the dance, such as it was, as they were swaying to the music, and turned them so he could see the couple out of the corner of his eye. They didn’t have the space between them that Percy had noted in couples who were only on a date for the dance, but their close body contact was clearly more hesitant than others. It was almost as if they were uncomfortable, unsure how to act. 

“I think they’re confused,” Percy said finally. 

“Yeah,” Annabeth agreed. “I don’t think either one of them is sure how invested the other is in the relationship.”

“What makes you say that?” Percy asked.

“Kassandra told me that Anthony wanted her to go to Harvard with him and she’s going to UPenn instead,” Annabeth said. “So, I get where he might be coming from. And Kassandra might just be having the ‘I don’t know what he gets up to back at home’ jitters.”

“Mmm.” Percy murmured. “Are you going to try and help them?”

Annabeth shrugged. “It’s not my place. And I’d probably just make a mess of it. If Piper were here, I’d let her straighten them out.”

Percy furrowed his brow at this. “I feel like we should.” 

“Percy,” Annabeth said with a warning in her voice. “Please don’t. It could blow up in your face, it’s not worth it.” She leaned up and kissed him. “You’re cute for wanting to try.”

“I just want everyone to be as happy as we are,” he admitted.

Annabeth gazed up at him. “You really do have the world’s biggest heart, don’t you, Seaweed Brain?” she stroked his cheek. “I love you.”

“Love you too, Wise Girl.” 

They swayed to the music, holding each other close. When the song was over, Annabeth excused herself to use the bathroom, and took Kassandra with her. Anthony went to find the drinks table, and that left Percy at the table with Ava and Kirsten. “So,” Kirsten said, grinning at him. “What’s the real scoop on you and Annabeth?” she asked. “‘You’ve been together for two years, so there must be a lot of juicy details.”

“Yeah, like, what was up last year, Annabeth looked awful a lot of the time last year,” Ava added. “She’s a lot better this year.”

Percy tried to gather his thoughts, to find away around these conversational pitfalls. “Um. Well, I know she had a lot of family stuff going on last year. I tried to help her as much as I could, but a lot of it I couldn’t really do much, I was tied up with some problems of my own,” he said. He was proud of that one. It wasn’t exactly a lie, naturally, since the gods were technically family. “But I mean, what do you want to know about juicy details? Like, our relationship? Or just embarrassing stories?”

“I’d take either,” Kirsten said.

“Well, there was the time she and I snuck off one time at camp, just to get some alone time, and then we fell asleep in the stables. We got busted the next morning by the counsellors who were looking for us. Talk about awkward,” he offered up the Coach Hedge story.

“Oh, what rebels,” Kirsten said, with a small roll of her eyes. “You’ve got to have something better than that,” she asked.

Percy did, of course, have better material. But all of it required contexts and circumstances that would be impossible to explain. How could he explain the Tunnel of Love at 12 years old? How could he explain Circe’s island, or Mt. St. Helen’s? Or...anything..? He tried to think quickly. “Um.”

“Do you get along with her Dad?” Ava asked. “Annabeth raves about your mom.”

“I don’t see him much,” Percy admitted, glad for this distraction. “I’ve only met him a couple of times. He’s a bit…”

“A bit what?”

“Well, he’s a history professor, and he gets a little hyper focused,” Percy said.

Kirsten nodded. “An absent-minded professor, then,” she said. “Sounds like he won’t be too bad an in-law,” she said.

“No, I’m not worried about him. Her step-mom is nice, for all they didn’t get along when she was younger. I think she’s gotten over that.” Percy said. “It’s her mom I’m worried about,” he continued without thinking.

“Oh?” Kirsten’s eyebrows shot up at this, perhaps sensing a juicy story. “Does she not like you?”

“She’s…” Percy hesitated. “Never been quite sold on me.”

“Interesting. How does Annabeth feel about it?” Ava said.

“It doesn’t bother her,” Percy said. He seized the gap in the conversation. “How come you guys didn’t bring a date?”

Ava shrugged. “I don’t know any boys around her well enough to ask,” she said. “It’s okay.”

“I just didn’t want the hassle,” Kirsten said. “Coordinating outfits, posing for pictures, arranging pickups and things.” She waved a dismissive hand. “I’m just here to have fun and to dance.” She stood up. “Which I’m not doing currently, c’mon Ava, let’s go dance.” And she dragged Ava off, leaving Percy temporarily alone. 

He wasn’t alone for long, as Anthony arrived back a moment later. “The girls aren’t back from the bathroom yet?” he asked Percy.

“Nah,” he said. “If it’s anything like my prom last week, there’s probably a line around the corner.”

“You guys went to that one, too?” he asked. “I invited Kassandra to come up for mine, but it’s a four hour drive, and she couldn’t miss school, since it was a Friday night.” He sounded disappointed.

"That sucks," Percy said. "I hated it before Annabeth decided to come out this way for school," he added.

"Oh?" Anthony asked. "Where was she before?"

"She was in California," Percy explained. 

"You guys met at, what, summer camp, Kassie said?"

"Yeah," Percy confirmed. "Summer between sixth and seventh grade. Annabeth mentioned you guys go further back than that."

Anthony nodded. "Elementary school. Third grade, we were in the same class."

"That's cool," Percy said. "You guys are pretty close then."

Anthony didn't respond right away. "Yeah."

"Something wrong?" Percy asked. 

"It's just...I'm not sure where we stand right now," Anthony explained. 

“Is it because she said she didn’t want to go to Harvard?” Percy asked.

“How did you know?”

“Annabeth told me,” Percy said. “Look, man, she’s gotta make the best decision for her.”

“You and Annabeth are going to the same place,” Anthony pointed out.

Percy waved that away. “There are extenuating circumstances there, I’m not at liberty to discuss it, but I’m not the main reason she’s going to New Rome. My point is this: if you want it bad enough, you’ll make it work. If she’s worth it, you’ll fight for it. You have to want to make it work.”

“What if she doesn’t?” Anthony asked. “I mean…”

“Look, man, maybe she’s a little nervous tonight. It’s been a while since you’ve seen each other, right?” Anthony nodded. “So, maybe she doesn’t know where  _ you _ stand,” Percy said. “You need to put your cards on the table. Let her know you’re committed. And if you both want it, then you can make it work.”

Anthony looked pensive. “Do you think so?"

Percy shrugged. “You got anything to lose?” he asked. “I mean, sure. Maybe she doesn’t feel the same way, but isn’t knowing better?”

Anthony considered for a moment. “Yeah,” he said. “I guess I’m just…”

“Scared?” Percy laughed. “Welcome to the club, man.”

“But you and Annabeth…”

“Dude, don’t you think that every day I’m scared of screwing up? I mean, most of the time I do, but Annabeth is pretty forgiving, thank the gods,” he said. “I mean, she screws up too. We all do. It’s...part of life,” Percy said.

“What’s part of life?” Annabeth asked, as she and Kassandra returned. Annabeth leaned on his shoulders and put her chin on his head.

“Screwing up,” Percy said.

“Gods, yes,” Annabeth agreed. 

“Care to dance?” he asked her.

“Absolutely,” she said. “Let’s go.” Percy led her back out on the dance floor. “What was that all about?” she asked when they got there.

“I had a chat with Anthony,” he said. “Nothing bad, I just encouraged him to lay his cards on the table with Kassandra. I wanted to give him space if he wanted to talk.”

Annabeth sighed. “Percy, I told you not to meddle."

Percy snorted. “What am I, on Scooby Doo?  _ And I would have gotten away with it too, if it hadn’t been for you meddling kids.”  _

She mock-glared at him. 

“Seriously, Annabeth, I didn’t make a mess of it, I promise,” he said. “Look.” He turned her so she could look back toward the table.

Anthony and Kassandra were engaged in an animated conversation, but it did not appear acrimonious. While they were watching, Kassandra reached out and put her hand over Anthony’s on the table. “See?” Percy said. “Fine. Everything’s fine.”

Annabeth gave him an arch look,and then wound her fingers behind his neck. “This time,” she said. “You got lucky.”

“I was playing with a stacked deck,” Percy said. “They just needed a little push.”

“Mmmhmm.” She leaned up on her tiptoes to kiss him.  __

“Annabeth!” a voice called. Percy watched Annabeth’s grin grow a little fixed. Nikitha approached them with two other girls. One was a blonde wearing a sea-green strapless dress with sparkles and the other was wearing a hot pink off-the-shoulder outfit that Percy really didn’t think was flattering to the brunette. 

“So, this is Percy,” the blonde said. 

“He cleans up well,” the brunette added.

“Percy, this is Libby,” Annabeth introduced the blonde. “And this is Brigitte,” she said. Percy could feel Annabeth’s annoyance. “We had classes together.”

“Hey,” he responded, not sure what else to say. He smiled and just kind of stood there.

“Nikitha told us you guys play with swords,” Libby said. “I never would have believed it, Annabeth.”

“It’s like there’s a whole other side to you,” Brigitte put in brightly. “Why don’t you guys come over and tell us about yourself,” she asked. “After all, we mostly only see the back of your head,” she giggled.

“Um,” Percy said, looking at Annabeth.

“Maybe later,” Annabeth muttered 

“You should definitely come to the after party,” Libby exclaimed. “It’s going to be lit. Wooo!” She punched a fist in the air. 

“We’ll see,” Annabeth prevaricated. And the other girls drifted off. 

“Party animals, huh?” Percy asked.

“Just a little,” Annabeth said. “And they probably want to hit on you."

“Really?” Percy was surprised. “But…?”

“Doesn’t matter to them,” Annabeth growled. “Let’s put it this way, I probably wouldn’t leave you alone with one of them even if we were safely married.”

“Well, I like the sound of that part,” Percy said with a grin. “Are you suggested we do something about that?” 

“Down boy,” Annabeth gave him a mock glare. “That was a hypothetical”

“Awww.” 

But his brain started turning. His pocket suddenly felt heavier. He stuck his hand in his pocket, and fingered the ring nestled there.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Email TheAuthor@no2ticonderoga.com'
> 
> Follow me on Twitter No_2Ticonderoga
> 
> Website: www.no2ticoderoga.com


	32. 32: Annabeth

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> CW: Kirsten discusses some of her own past traumas in this chapter. Demigods aren't the only ones with demons in their past. Take care of yourselves out there. (And don't worry about her, she's going to be fine.)
> 
> But it's mostly fluff....
> 
> ...especially at the end....

Annabeth had to admit Percy had been right about Kassandra and Anthony. They returned to the dance floor shortly after Libby and Brigitte left (thank the gods...she saw the way they were staring at him), and the tension that had been between them seemed to be gone. 

Percy on the other hand, seemed to be growing more tense, for some reason as the evening went on. He wasn’t unhappy, that much she could tell, but definitely tense in some way. She doubted he had another surprise up his sleeve like last week. That had fallen in his lap like a gift from Olympus, and she doubted he could pull off a similar surprise by himself. And she doubted Sally would go along for the ride, since he would have had to enlist an adult to rent a room. 

Kirsten rounded them up for prom photos when the DJ decided to cue up some hip-hop tracks that no one in her group was remotely into. Percy excused himself to use the restroom while they waited in line for their turn at the photo stand.

“You’re a lucky girl, Annabeth,” Ava said. “Percy’s a great guy.”

“Thanks.” Annabeth smiled fondly at this, happy her friends liked him.

“More importantly,” Kirsten added. “You’re good for each other. I can see how you compliment each other.” 

Ava nodded. “It doesn’t hurt that he’s cute. I mean, we’ve known that from the pictures, and from seeing him around, but man, he cleans up good.”

“Don’t let him get away,” Kassandra added. 

“I don’t intend to,” Annabeth said, with a grin. “Not that I couldn’t catch him, if I needed to.”

“I don’t think that’s a worry. He doesn’t seem like the runaway bride type,” Kirsten observed judiciously. 

“Gods, no.” Annabeth laughed. “Percy is loyal to a fault.”

“I’m beginning to think he wasn’t joking about the marriage thing in the limo, was he?” Kirsten asked. 

“Um.” Annabeth felt her face growing hot. “Possibly...not.”

Kirsten studied her for a moment. “Okay, I think I should start taking bets. How many people here think they’ll make it to college graduation without getting married?” she asked the group generally.

“I doubt it.” Ava shook her head emphatically. 

“Really?” Kassandra sounded skeptical. “That’s awfully young.”

“Normally, I think I’d agree with you,” Kirsten allowed. “But…” she studied Annabeth for a long moment. “There’s just something about you two. Can’t put my finger on it, but you guys are not...and I’m going to say this with all the love I have in my heart for you, Annabeth, but you guys are not the norm. You’re outliers, somehow, but in a good way.”

Annabeth arched an eyebrow. “Are you trying to find a nice way of saying we’re not normal?” she asked.

“Well, yeah,” Kirsten admitted. 

Annabeth hugged her. “It’s okay. We’re not. And that’s fine with us. And you’ll never really know how thankful I am that you were my roommate. I was so lucky to get you.”

“No kidding,” Kirsten said, hugging her back. “Imagine if you’d gotten stuck with Libby.”

Everyone laughed, and Annabeth rolled her eyes, “Gods forbid.” 

Anthony cleared his throat. “Percy’s a good guy. I haven’t known him, or you, more than a few hours, but he gave me some great advice,” he said, smiling down at Kassandra. 

“Yeah, he’s a good guy,” Annabeth allowed. “A little goofy, but he’s mine.”

“You talking about me?” Percy asked, as he snaked an arm around her waist and smiled at her.

“Just a little,” she told him, leaning into him. “All good things, don’t worry.”

“I figured. You guys wouldn’t be smiling if it had been bad.” He held her tightly. 

“You can be perceptive,” Annabeth said, turning in his arms and tapping him on the nose. “When you want to be.”

The others snickered a little. 

They finally got to the front of the line and got their photos taken, and got back out to the dance floor. The DJ announced the prom song just as they were returning, and it was indeed, the Green Day song. Annabeth recognized it from the guitar chords at the beginning. She grabbed Percy and held him. 

“I wonder what Thalia’s up to,” Percy mused after a moment or two.

“I’m sure she’s okay,” Annabeth assured him.

“Yeah.” He didn’t sound convinced.

They held each other and swayed, singing along at the parts they recognized. 

“Y’know, I don’t think this one applies to us very well,” Percy noted, during the bridge.

“Oh?” she asked. “Why?”

“Well for one thing, I don’t think our high school years in general are going to be the time we look back on as ‘the time of our life’.,” He grimaced. “And I certainly hope the time of our life is still ahead of us.”

“Hm,” Annabeth considered his. “You’ve got a point there.”

“I mean, I get why a lot of kids feel that way. High school is the last time they don’t really have any responsibilities and stuff. But it was never that way for us,” he reflected. “Like, never.”

Annabeth realized he was right. What they had done, and when they had done it, really had robbed them of any chance of a normal childhood, the way all their friends understood it. 

“These last few months have been fun,” she pointed out. “Senior year hasn’t been that bad.”

“True,” Percy admitted. “Things have gone well since we got back from Greece, but that’s been, what, 9 months?” he shrugged. “Doesn’t seem a fair exchange for you running away from home at 7 years old. Or for Gabe.”

Annabeth hugged him tighter. “Well, I got you out of the deal. So, I think I came out ahead.”

His chest jerked and his breath puffed out in a “ha”, but he held her tighter back. “Well, that’s fair. I wouldn’t change a second of it, if it meant I might not be here with you, right now, in this moment.” 

She pulled back and smiled up at him. “I love you, Seaweed Brain.” And then she kissed him.

He kissed her back, thoroughly and at length, and they were both breathless when they pulled apart. They headed back to their table when the song was over, deciding without needing to speak that they needed a break from the dancing. 

“The chaperones were about three seconds from breaking you guys up,” Kirsten informed them when they arrived at the table. “I was watching Ms. Grzyb over by the door.”

Annabeth felt herself blush.

“They do that?” Percy asked. “Break people up for kissing?”

“Well, kissing, no,” Kirsten clarified. “Playing tonsil hockey for almost two straight minutes? That gets their attention. Especially when you’re conspicuous about it.”

“Wow,” Percy said. “You guys are strict. I’ve seen kids do that in the hallway between classes, and no one bats an eye.” 

“The benefits of co-education,” Kirsten sighed. “I knew I should have gone to a co-ed school. Oh, well. Missed opportunities.”

“You’re incorrigible,” Annabeth laughed.

“Girl, I’m not the one who just kicked up the rating on prom from PG to PG-13,” Kisten pointed out.

“Whatever.” Annabeth rolled her eyes.

“Do you want a water?” Percy asked her. “I’m thirsty, I can get you one too.” He hooked a thumb in the direction of the drinks table.

“Sure.” Percy pointed at Kirsten and she shook her head, and he headed off toward the drinks table. “Why aren’t you dancing?” Annabeth asked Kirsten. “I thought that’s why you were here.”

“I’ll go in a minute.” She paused, staring off into the middle distance. “I hate that song,” she admitted. “It’s...got some bad memories attached to it."

“Oh?” Annabeth hadn’t meant to pry, but the ‘oh’ came out of her mouth with a question mark instead of a period. 

Kirsten sighed. “I had an older brother,” she began, and Annabeth felt a ripple of surprise run through her. She hadn’t known that. Annabeth had been under the impression Kirsten was an only child. “He was five years older than me.” The past tense verbs did not escape her notice.

“What happened?” Annabeth asked softly.

“He…” Kirsten hesitated. “He killed himself, during his first year of college. He’d been a star student in high school and an all state athlete. But everything fell apart in college. His grades were terrible, and he didn’t make the team.” Kirsten paused and Annabeth could see the pain in her eyes. “I remember, one of the last times I saw him, he said ‘what if it really is all down here from here? What if high school really was the best part of my life?’” She sighed. “That song hits a little too close to home.”

“Oh. That’s...” she trailed off. There didn’t seem to be words. “It must be very painful.” 

Kirsten took a deep breath and let it out. “Yeah...well, that’s the real reason I didn’t want to bring a date,” she told her. “I knew when they announced that damn song that I wasn’t going to be much fun once they played it, or at least for a while. And I didn’t want to have to explain myself to some complete stranger.” She gave a half-hearted smile at Annabeth. “I think you understand better than most.”

“Yes,” Annabeth said.  _ For more reasons than you could ever know. _

Kirsten stood up. “I’m going to go dance,” she announced. “Try to avoid sucking face with Percy again. You guys are on their list now, they’ll be watching you.” She winked at Annabeth and headed off into the crowd.

Annabeth shook her head. She felt honored by Kirsten’s confidence and understood a bit more the other girls tolerance of Annabeth’s own eccentricities. She clearly had her own demons to contend with. 

She looked around for Percy, who hadn’t returned yet with the waters, and found him holding two water bottles in front of him like a shield, with two girls blocking his path. Annabeth thought she vaguely recognized them, but she wasn’t sure. Annabeth rose from her seat and closed in from behind.

“...who are you here with?” one was saying.

“My girlfriend, Annabeth,” Percy said. 

“Annabeth?” the other asked. 

“I’ve heard of her,” the first one replied. “She’s Dr. Matthew’s teacher’s pet. Always doodling buildings in her notebooks.” Her voice was less than complimentary. “C’mon with us, we can show you how to have some  _ real _ fun,” she said. 

Annabeth watched in mild amusement as Percy’s eyes went from confused to dark and storming in about 0.5 seconds flat at the implied insults to her. Annabeth figured these two, whoever they were, were only moments away from wearing the water bottles that Percy was holding, at minimum. 

Annabeth hadn’t realized quite how badly the gender ratios would be skewed at her prom. There were a lot fewer dates here than she’d bargained for. These two must have been just waiting to pounce on any male separated from the herd. 

“Percy!” Annabeth said, breaking in and kissing him on the cheek. “There you are.” 

His eyes softened when he saw her, and he handed her one of the water bottles. “Got you your water.” 

“Thanks.” She turned a fierce glare on the other two girls. “I see you’ve met my boyfriend, Percy,” she said. She gave the two interlopers a withering glare.

They rolled their eyes at her and sauntered off.

“Can I explode a sink on them or something?” Percy begged. “Maybe we’ll follow them till they go to the ladies room, and I can blow up a toilet,” he offered.

Annabeth laughed, as the tension ran out of her. “No, Seaweed Brain. You cannot blow up a toilet in the Plaza.”

“Aww, please? Did you hear what they were saying about you?” He gave her the puppy dog eyes.

“No. And yes, I did, but it doesn’t matter. Three more weeks and I’ll never see them again,” Annabeth told him. “And you won’t ever see them again after right this moment. Now, c’mon, let’s go have some  _ real  _ fun.”

They returned to the dance floor, where they stayed for the rest of the evening. Percy really was a terrible dancer, but he was at least enthusiastic about it. They both really got into it when  _ Born This Way  _ came on. Since the song's release, it had become an unofficial Camp Half-Blood anthem of sorts. 

It took Annabeth by surprise when the DJ announced the last dance, and they held each other close when _ Everything I do (I do it for you) _ began to play. 

They didn’t say anything as they held each other and swayed through the song. Percy had gone quiet, and seemed tense again, but he held her tightly, so whatever was on his mind didn’t seem to be about her. He kissed her gently as the song ended, and they headed back to their table to collect Annabeth’s shoes and her purse. 

“Headed out?” Kirsten asked. 

Annabeth looked at her carefully. There was still strain around her eyes, but well hidden. “Yes, what about you?”

“Ehhh…” she said. “I think I’m going to go paint the town red, see what mischief I can get into.”

“How are you going to do that?” Ava asked. 

“I’m going to see who all is having a party upstairs,” she explained. “I’m not ready for the night to be over.”

“Are you sure you don’t want to come back to the dorm with me?” Ava asked more insistently.

“The night is still young.” Kirsten brushed this off.

“Be careful,” Annabeth said, giving Kirsten a look. Kirsten seemed to catch it, and nodded shortly in acknowledgement. 

Kassandra and Anthony appeared, arm in arm and smiling. “Where are you guys going?” Ava asked.

“We’re going out for dessert, and then Anthony’s going to bring me back to the dorm,” Kassandra explained. “You want to come with us?”

“No, you go. I’d be in the way,” Ava demurred.

“What about you guys?” Kassandra asked Annabeth.

“We’re going to walk to my mom’s apartment,” Percy answered. “It’s not far,” he said. “You guys have a good time.”

They all made their way out, except Kirsten, who joined a throng of kids headed upstairs. “It was really great to meet you guys,” Anthony said as they reached the main entrance.

“Yeah, you too, man.” Percy shook his hand.

There were goodbyes all around as people boarded cabs and limos. Percy and Annabeth got Ava safely into the cab for school, and Kassandra and Anthony into another to go out for ice cream. She sighed and leaned into him as they waved at the cab as it pulled away. “You want to walk through to the Park before we head back to my place?” he asked. 

Annabeth was a little surprised. “Percy Jackson, are you trying to be romantic?” 

Even in the glow of the street lamps and LEDs signs, she could see him blush. “Maybe.” 

Annabeth felt a little thrill run through her. “Well, then, by all means, lead the way.”

Percy took her hand, and they started up toward the park. “Did you have a good time tonight?”

“Amazing time,” she squeezed his hand. “How about you?”

“Fan-friggin-tastic. I like your friends,” he said. “They’re pretty cool.” 

“That’s awesome,” Annabeth agreed.. “I liked yours, too. Darah and Josh are cute.” 

“We both have pretty good taste,” Percy said. 

“After all, we picked each other, right?” She smiled up at him.

“Damn straight,” he said. 

Percy led the way across 59th Street and into the Park. Annabeth marvelled at how many people were still around, at this late night hour. But she supposed it was a Friday night, and New York was the city that never slept. 

They strolled the paths, heading around the pond. Annabeth knew Percy was always drawn toward water. Annabeth thought he seemed like he was getting more tense. It was odd for him to be tensing up, usually the proximity to water relaxed him. 

They broke out into the open, crossing the little bridge. Percy stopped in the middle of the bridge, and they turned and looked, back toward the Plaza Hotel, visible at the southeast corner of the park. The lights of the city sparkled off the still water of the pond. “Oh,” she gave a soft gasp. They stood there for a moment, taking in the scene.

“Yeah,” Percy said. “New York’s pretty great, sometimes.” He held her close, as they stared back at the hotel, lit up and fairly glowing across the pond. “Want to see something cool?” he asked. 

“Sure,” she replied, not sure what he was getting at.

Percy waved his hand, and suddenly little fountains sprang up all throughout the pond, gesyering at different levels, creating a framing effect around the bridge. The droplets sparkled in the light from the city and the street lamps, looking almost like dancing fairies.

“What are you doing?” Annabeth scolded. “Percy, you’re not supposed to do that where mortals can see.”

“But it’s pretty,” he protested. “And I wanted to set the proper mood.”

“Proper mood, Seaweed Brain, what...are...you…” she trailed off. Percy had let go of her hand, and stepped away from her. He rummaged in the pocket of his jacket and he went down on one knee. “Percy,” she said slowly. She tried to sound stern but her voice might have cracked there. “What are you doing?” she quavered.

“Annabeth Chase,” he declared. His own voice didn’t sound too steady, but he bravely continued. “You are everything to me. There is no one that is closer to me. You know me to my soul,” he said. “And there isn’t anyone in this life that I would rather spend the rest of mine with. That I want to build something permanent with. So, Wise Girl,” he managed a grin. “Will you marry me?” he held out a ring.

For a moment she just stood there, dumbfounded. Her brain raced around in circles.  _ Of all the hair-brained, impulsive..we’re seventeen!- what does he think he’s-OHMYGODS… _ “Yes!” she managed, though she wasn’t sure why she was suddenly crying, like, actual tears were running down her cheeks. “You’re crazy, and I can’t believe you really…. _ yes, _ Percy. Yes, I’ll marry you.” She yanked him up and hugged him so tightly she thought she might crack his ribs but she didn’t care. He was her Seaweed Brain.

His geysers shot skyward in one enormous blast of joy, sending a fine mist settling down over the pond and everything around it as he held her. It had the benefit of hiding her tears. Maybe his too. When she finally let him go, he held up the ring. It was difficult to see in the dim light of the street lamps, but the diamond sparkled. “Oh, gods, Percy, it’s…”

“I’m told the diamond was meant for a queen. Looks like it finally found where it belongs,” he told her solemnly. 

She looked at him, blushing, but cocking an eyebrow. “And how long have you been working on that line?” she asked.

He had the grace to look abashed. “A while,” he admitted. “But it’s true. It was supposed to be part of a new crown for the queen of Spain. It went down in a shipwreck near the Sea of Monsters.” He took her hand. “May I?”

She nodded, not quite trusting herself to speak. She watched as he slipped the ring onto her finger. It was a little snug, but she could get used to it.

“Amphitrite says she can size it, if it’s not the right fit.” He looked worried.

“It’s fine,” she assured him. “I’d rather it be tight than loose.” She stared at her hand.  _ I’m engaged. I’m engaged to be married. I’m seventeen, but I’m engaged. Holy Aphroditie, I’m engaged.  _ She was shaking again. “Is this real?”

“I’m not even sure,” Percy admitted. “Pinch me, make sure I’m not dreaming.”

She kissed him instead, a full body kiss, wrapping herself around him. They were both out of breath when they came up for air. 

“Well, if I’m dreaming,” he gasped. “I don’t want to stop.” 

She laughed. “We’re engaged,” she marveled. “Are we crazy?”

“Probably,” Percy said. “Almost certainly.”

"Let's go tell everyone!" she exclaimed, and she grabbed his hand, and began pulling him toward the Park exit.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Email: TheAuthor@no2ticonderoga.com
> 
> Twitter: No_2Ticonderoga
> 
> Website: No2ticonderoga.com


	33. 33: Percy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone!
> 
> So, it's been kind of crazy in my world, so I apologize for taking so long to get this up. First, and foremost, I want to send lots of hugs and love and prayers to my Beta reader, Aggiebell. She lost her mom right at the end of August, and has been dealing with that and everything that goes with trying to settle the affairs of the estate. Which is not easy.
> 
> I had been waiting to see if she would have time to get back to this, but I don't think that time is going to be soon given everything, so I'm going to go ahead and post a couple of chapters without the final beta proof, I hope you'll forgive me if there's an unusual number of typos. It's entirely my fault, not hers. I just needed to get back to posting, for my own reasons. 
> 
> My life has been nuts since I started back to real work for the first time since March. My 'day job' sucks up so much of my head space that it's hard to find time for things like writing, but for my own mental well being I'm trying to squeeze in at least a little a day, because it makes me happier. And these days, I think we all could be happier. 
> 
> So, here's the next chapter! I'm hoping to try and get another out by the weekend. 
> 
> Love to all, and thanks for your patience. Be well!

Percy had decided tonight was going to be the night early on, which just left how and when. He had thought about it during the last song, but decided to wait. He wasn’t sure he wanted the audience that would certainly be present if he dropped to one knee at the end of the song. But it wasn’t until they were on their way out that the idea had come to him. He’d glanced out the lobby windows, and saw the trees across 59th Street, and knew that’s what he wanted. 

They made their goodbyes to Annabeth’s friends. Percy frowned as Kirsten joined the crowds headed for the rooms upstairs. Something wasn’t quite right there, but he couldn’t put his finger on it. Annabeth seemed to notice too, and he wondered if there was some kind of roommate thing going on. He was sorry to see Kassandra and Anthony go. If he hadn’t had other things on his mind, he might have suggested they take them up on their offer. Their double date with Darah and Josh had been fun. 

Annabeth had been surprised when he’d suggested a walk in the Park, but pleasantly so. His palms were sweaty by the time they reached the bridge. When they stopped in the middle, he closed his eyes and said a silent prayer to his dad, and Aphrodite. The splash of a fish rising for a bug gave him the idea for the geysers. 

He was shaking like a leaf as he fumbled for the ring and got down on one knee.  _ Here goes nothing _ , he thought.  _ Oh, help!  _ He prayed in the general direction of whatever gods were listening. Somehow, he found his tongue, and managed to push words out, though he would never be exactly certain what he’d said. 

But he would always remember the moment when she said yes. He'd shot the geysers high in the air in triumph, and kissed her. His line about the diamond had apparently been a bit too polished for Annabeth to buy it as spontaneity, but that was fair. He  _ had _ been rehearsing it for a while.

Annabeth dragged him back along the path they had come into the Park in, until they came to a branch and they bent off toward 5th Avenue. They were laughing as they ran, startling some of the other late night walkers and strollers.

“Annabeth, wait,” he called, when they got to 5th Ave. He grabbed her hand and pulled her up short. She spun into him and grabbed his face and kissed him giddily. “Mm.” He kissed her back. “We should call a cab.”

“Why?” she asked “I feel like I could fly!” She twirled in a circle, her dress flaring out a little.

“Because you can’t run 6 blocks in heels,” he explained. “And I’m not letting you run barefoot in New York.” Percy stuck his arm out and whistled. A cab swerved out of the flow of traffic and pulled up in front of them. Percy opened the door and Annabeth slid in.

Percy gave the cabbie his address, and he turned down 59th Street to loop around on 1st Avenue. “Who else knows about this?” Annabeth asked.

“Um. I told my mom and Paul, and my Dad and Amphitrite, obviously,” he said. “And Nico, when we were back at camp.” He paused. “And I called your dad.”

“You talked to my dad?” she asked, surprised.

“Yeah.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “I called him on my mom’s land line last week before my prom. I told him I was going to ask you to marry me and that I wanted his blessing.”

“Oh, Percy, that’s so sweet,” Annabeth gushed, and she kissed him again. “And what about my mom?” she asked.

“My dad says she’s okay with it. And I burned some offerings to her, as well.”

“Was that who nearly burned your face off at camp?” she asked.

“No, actually.” Percy hesitated. “That was Hera.” 

She looked at him blankly. “Hera? That c…” Percy put a hand over her mouth. “Hey!” she protested, pulling away. “What was that for?”

“Annabeth, have you ever considered that, well, as much as we haven’t gotten along, she  _ is _ the Goddess, of y’know...marriage...and family?”

Annabeth's mouth had opened, presumably on a hot response but abruptly snapped shut. She stared at him. 

“I’ve been giving it a lot of thought, lately,” Percy explained. “And I’ve decided we should make our peace with her. Because this,” he gestured between them. “Is more important to me, and it’s too valuable to have someone messing with us.”

“You…” she trailed off.

“Yes,” he said. He took both her hands in his. “Yes, I’ve been worried about all kinds of things. There are so many ways that marriage can go wrong, even without making the Goddess of Marriage angry. And she’s also the Goddess of Family. Do you know how many nights, when I’ve been up in the wee hours, that I’ve worried she might curse us with no kids?” 

Annabeth’s eyes filled with tears. “Oh, Percy,” she fell into him. “That’s the most…” she buried her head in his neck. “You are the sweetest thing.” 

He held her, and then the cab was in front of his apartment. He paid the cabby and they got out. 

They stood on the sidewalk a moment, looking up at the windows of the building. “Ready?” Percy asked her. He wasn’t at all sure he was ready for this, but it was time to take the plunge. 

They went inside and up the stairs. There was light from the living room when Percy opened the door to the apartment, dim and flickering. Someone must be up watching TV. Percy gripped Annabeth’s hand as they went into the apartment.

“Percy? Annabeth?” his mom’s voice called. Percy took a breath.

“Hi, Mom,” he announced. “We’re home.”

“Did you have a good time?” she asked. Percy turned into the living room. His mom was sitting on the couch in her bathrobe, Estelle asleep in her arms. “I just got her back to sleep.” She was watching Jimmy Fallon. 

“Yeah, we did.” Percy swallowed. “Uh, Mom. We have something…” Percy faltered as her head snapped around at this opening. Annabeth stepped forward. 

“We have something to tell you,” she said bravely.

“Please tell me he made it romantic,” Sally begged. Her face was so earnest and desperate that Percy wasn’t sure if he should laugh or be offended.

Annabeth had no such dilemma, she laughed, although it sounded on the edge of crying, like she had been in the car when he’d talked about Hera and family, and kids.

“Yes,” she cried, and threw herself-gently, in deference to Estelle- onto the couch and hugged his Mom tightly. “Yes, he was wonderful.” 

“Let me see,” Mom demanded, and Annabeth held out her left hand for inspection. “Oh, Annabeth. I’m so, so happy.” His Mom reached up her free hand and cupped Annabeth’s cheek. “Not that there was ever any doubt, but oh, this is so wonderful.” She reached out her hand for Percy’s and he took it and held it. “I’m so proud of you. Both of you.”

Paul’s sleepy voice came from the hall. “Did I hear the kids come in?” he yawned. He blinked as he saw them. “Hey...did you have a good time?” He blinked again, and his brain must have jolted into gear. “Oh. Oh my!” He looked at Percy. “Did you…?”

Percy nodded. “She said yes,” he answered the unvoiced question. “Still not sure why.”

Paul snorted. “You said it, I didn’t.” Then he crossed the room and put his arm around Percy’s shoulders in a rough hug. “Congratulations. Well done.”

“Thanks.” He bit his lip against the sudden prick at the corner of his eyes. 

“You should call your Dad,” Mom declared, looking at the clock. “It’s only 8:40 there, he’s still up,” she said. “Here, Paul, you take Estelle,” she ordered, handing his little sister off. “See if she’ll go down in the crib and then come out to the kitchen, and we’ll hear all about it. I’m going to start the oven. I’ve got cookie dough in the freezer.”

Percy followed Annabeth and Mom out to the kitchen, where Mom immediately got the oven preheating, and took a tub of blue cookie dough out of the freezer. Annabeth went to the phone and dialed.

Percy watched as she absently began pulling pins from her hair, letting it fall down out of the up-do it had been in for the dance. There was something beautiful in these casual gestures as she shook it out. His heart filled just looking at her. 

“Hi, Dad?” she said. “It’s Annabeth.” Pause. “Everything’s fine. I’m fine...in fact,” she turned to look at Percy, her eyes wondering. “It’s better than fine. Dad...Percy asked me to marry him. We’re engaged.” She held out her hand, and Percy crossed the room and took it, then hugged her as she talked with her dad. “It was very romantic,” she said. “He was wonderful.” She smiled at him. “Yes, it’s a beautiful ring. I’ll send you a picture….yes, and you’ll get to see it at graduation….No. I don’t think we have any plans yet. No, we won’t do anything without telling you.” she smirked at Percy. “Yes, tonight was my prom….we had a great time. Dad...the line is getting bad….yes, I’ll take care. Yes, I love you too. Talk to you soon. I will. Bye, Dad.” She hung up the phone and hugged him tightly.

“Well?” Percy asked.

“Well what?” 

“Was he happy for you?” 

“Of course he was, Seaweed Brain. You know he likes you,” she squeezed him tighter. “Did you doubt it? You did ask his permission. He said he appreciated that.”

Percy was relieved anyway. “Well, you never know."

“Oh, Percy,” she sighed, touching his cheek. “I love you.”

“Come help me with the sheet pans,” Mom ordered Percy. “Take your tux jacket off and get them out from the cabinet.”

“Okay, Mom,” he said. He took off his jacket and hung it on the back of a chair. He rolled up his sleeves and pulled the cookie sheets out of the cabinet. His Mom handed him the tub of cookie dough. 

“Start scooping.” She fixed him with a gimlet eye. “No eating.”

“Yes, Mom.” He rolled his eyes. 

“Annabeth, come tell me all about it.” She led Annabeth to the kitchen table. “I want to hear everything.”

Percy spooned cookie dough and listened as Annabeth told his mom about the prom, and the good time they’d had. The oven had preheated and he’d just popped the first batch into the oven when she’d gotten to the good part. 

“So, he asked if I wanted to take a walk in the Park with him before we went home,” she explained.

“Oh, I bet that was romantic,” Mom gushed.

“It was,” she said with a smile, glancing over at him. “It was really sweet. We walked around the Pond, till we got to the bridge. We stood in the middle of the bridge, looking back toward the Plaza. And he started making the water geyser up, like fountains. There was this fine mist in the air that sparkled in the streetlamps and the lights of the city.”

“Percy,” Mom said, giving him a look. “You’re not supposed to do that where mortals might see.”

“That’s what I told him,” Annabeth continued, "but when I turned toward him, he was down on one knee.”

“Oh,” Mom put her hands over her mouth. “On one knee and everything.” She gave him another look, this one much more proud than the last one was. Percy still wasn’t sure if he should be pleased, or miffed that she’d thought he’d mess it up. 

Annabeth nodded. “I don’t remember exactly what he said,” she admitted, with a guilty look toward Percy. “But he said that there wasn’t anyone he would rather spend his life with, and then he had the ring, and he asked if I would marry him.”

“What did you say?” Mom wanted to know.

“Yes, eventually. After I got over my shock, and all the thoughts about him being crazy, and us being crazy, and was this really happening,” she said. “I still can’t believe it.” 

“Then she kissed me,” Percy added. 

“And then he told me where he got the ring, and oh, tell her your cheesy line, I swear he must have been working on this for weeks.” Annabeth said in an aside to his Mom. 

She turned to him. “What did you say?”

“I told her what Amphitrite said about the jewels, about them being meant for a queen. I said they’d finally found their way to where they belong,” Percy explained.

“Oh, Percy.” His Mom smiled and shook her head. 

“What?” Percy said defensively.

“No, it’s cute,” she said. “It’s exactly the right thing.”

“I agree,” Paul said. He’d come out from the bedroom during this recital of events and had pulled up a chair at the table. “I approve.”

“And then I wanted to tell people, but Percy made us get a cab, because he didn’t want me trying to run all the way here in my high heels,” she said. “Which was also really cute.”

“And the right thing to do,” Mom added. “You could break an ankle on some of these sidewalks that way.” 

“And in the cab,” Annabeth continued. Percy felt his face grow hot. He wasn’t sure he wanted her to tell this part. “He told me he’s been burning offerings and trying to smooth things over with Hera. Because she’s the Goddess of Marriage, and he doesn’t want her screwing things up for us.”

Both Mom and Paul turned and stared at him. “Percy?” Mom asked.

He shrugged. “I just...wanted to cover my bases.” He turned away, but he could see Annabeth realize she’d gone too far out of the corner of his eye before he turned away.

“Well, I think that’s a pretty mature attitude to take,” Paul said into the awkward silence. “Given past experiences.”

The oven timer went off, and Percy took the opportunity to disengage from the conversation in order to check on the cookies. They weren’t quite done, since the dough had been mostly frozen, they needed another minute or two. He shut the oven and set the timer again. 

It wasn’t that he was embarrassed by his overtures to Hera. He just...wasn’t sure he wanted everyone to know. He didn’t ever think he’d be in her good graces. He’d settle for benign neglect. He just didn’t want her active interference. What he’d told Annabeth in the cab had been true. He was secretly terrified that she would curse them in some way. Not being able to have kids was near the top of his list of nightmare scenarios. For though he still had doubts about how to keep a family safe, his heart still yearned for the idea of a family with Annabeth. 

They chatted more generally around the table while the cookies finished, and cooled, and then shared them out in celebration. Percy’s eyes kept straying to the ring on Annabeth’s hand, loving the way it looked there, the way it caught the light. Annabeth kept catching him staring at it, since she also kept looking at it, and then smiling up at him.

Finally, Mom announced that it was time everyone should be getting off to bed, and Annabeth said she was going to take a shower to clean her makeup off. 

“I’ll go grab some pillows and stuff for the couch,” Percy said. He started to rise as Annabeth headed toward the halfway. 

Mom and Paul exchanged a glance that Percy couldn’t quite decipher, almost as if they were having some kind of non-verbal conversation. Paul’s eyebrow cocked, and Mom rolled her eyes, and gave him a mild glare. Then he shrugged, and Mom sighed, and turned to him. “You don’t have to sleep on the couch, Percy,” she said finally. 

Annabeth froze in mid step, and Percy dropped back into his chair like a puppet with his strings cut. “Um, what?”

“You can share the bed,” she said. “It hardly seems logical to keep you separated at this point.” She gave a tired smile. “You’re adults, or the next closest thing. You should be treated like adults. Just, remember, we’re next door, and Estelle is asleep.” And she and Paul stood up, as if by agreement, and headed for bed. Mom paused in the doorway, and cupped Annabeth’s cheek again. “I really am so glad you’re in our lives, Annabeth. I couldn’t be happier for both of you.” She kissed Annabeth’s cheek and disappeared down the hall with Paul.

“What just happened?” Percy asked.

Annabeth shook her head. “I’m not 100% sure,” she said. “But I guess you don’t have to sleep on the couch.”

“Go shower,” he told her. “I want my turn before bed as well.” He stopped short of suggesting they share. Whatever this new equilibrium was with his Mom and Paul, he didn’t want to push his luck.

When Annabeth emerged from the shower, she was wearing one of his old t-shirts and a pair of track shorts. He was sitting on the edge of his bed, he’d taken off his shoes and tux shirt. He grabbed his shorts, and headed for the shower. Annabeth gave him a kiss as he went past her. He showered quickly-he was tired-and brushed his teeth. Before he went back to his room, he went to the kitchen and gathered up the leftover cookies. When he got back to his room, Annabeth was sitting up, reading a book, already under the covers. “Hey.”

“Hey, yourself,” she said. 

Percy was unaccountably nervous for some reason, which was ridiculous. He sat down on the edge of the bed, holding the tray of cookies. “So…”

“So.”

“This is...weird,” he said. “I mean…”

“It won’t be the first time we’ve shared a bed,” Annabeth pointed out.

“True,” Percy said. “But that was like, on a quest or something.”

“And last weekend.” She slid over and hugged him from behind “Or have you forgotten that already,” she whispered in his ear.

“Stop that!” he protested. 

She giggled. “You’re weirded out that your Mom and Paul are just on the other side of that wall, aren’t you?” 

‘Yeah,” Percy admitted. 

She stroked his cheek. "It's okay. I'm not suggesting we do anything. I'm just saying, you don't have to be nervous. It's just me," she said. "Come to bed."

“Actually, we need to do something first,” he said, handing her the plate of cookies.

“What, finish the cookies? I’m stuffed.”

“Nah,” Percy said, rummaging in his closet. He came out with a celestial bronze bowl, a box of matches, and one of those mini firestarter logs. “We told one set of parents the good news. Time for the other.”

Annabeth’s mouth made a little “o”, as Percy hauled open his window and climbed out to the fire escape.

He’d had Tyson fashion the bowl for him ages ago, and Chiron had explained to him how to bless it to make a sacred fire. He put the firestarter log in the bowl, and spoke out the ancient Greek while he struck the match. Annabeth sat in the window, watching. Once the flame was burning steadily, Percy held out his hand, and Annabeth handed him the plate of cookies. “I think you should go first,” he said. 

“Okay,” Annabeth said. She looked at the cookies. “How many offerings are we making tonight?”

“Four,” Percy said firmly. Annabeth nodded, and quickly divided the remaining cookies evenly. There was one left over, so she split it in half, popped one half in her mouth, and handed the other to Percy who ate it. Then she took a breath. 

“Mother,” she spoke firmly. “Percy asked me to marry him, and I agreed. Please bless us together.” She tossed her cookies in the fire. Scented smoked drifted upward. 

Percy took another quarter of the cookies. “Dad, Annabeth agreed to marry me tonight. Please bless us together.” He put the cookies on the fire.

“Which one’s next?” Annabeth asked.

“Aphrodite,” he decided. She nodded. They split the cookies for her offering between them. 

“Aphrodite, Goddess of Love, thanks for the blessing of true love,” she said. 

“Thank you, for everything,” Percy said simply, and they tossed the cookies on the fire together.

Finally, they split the last portion. Percy took a breath. “Queen of Olympus and Goddess of Marriage,” his voice shook a little. “Bless our union.”

“And bless us with family, someday,” Annabeth added. 

They tossed the remaining cookies on the fire. The flames flared up a little, but not as much as they had at camp. They held hands as they watched the flames burn down. Something sparked above them, and Annabeth glanced up. She gasped. “Percy, look!” 

Just above them on the fire escape, burning in the air, like the night, so very long ago, when he’d been claimed by his father, a trident glowed green in the air. Next to it, Percy recognized the owl shaped Mark of Athena, also glowing. They glowed, side by side together. Annabeth squeezed his hand. “Thanks, Mom,” she said, sounding happy, suspiciously close to those happy tears she had cried earlier. “Thank you, Lord Poseidon.”

Percy surreptitiously wiped at his eyes. “Thanks, Dad. Thank you, Lady Athena.” 

The symbols flared briefly, and faded out. A breeze stirred the air, carrying with it the sound of a woman’s laughter, and rose petals drifted down around them. 

“Aphrodite must have liked the cookies,” Percy laughed. 

There was no sign from Hera, but Percy hadn’t expected any, at least not at this early stage. It would probably take a lot more sacrifices to get on her good side. Annabeth tugged his arm. “Come to bed.”

Percy nodded, and got up. He left the bowl on the fire escape to burn out. He wasn’t worried about it being stolen, since it was very difficult to climb the fire escape from the ground level, and he doubted anyone in the building would steal it. Other people in the building used the fire escape as outdoor storage. The neighbor two floors upstairs from him had a mountain bike on it. He shut the window, and crossed the room as Annabeth put up her book and climbed into bed. He turned off the room's light and crawled in next to her. She automatically rolled into her side, and Percy reached around her to hold her close. He blew a few stray stands of her hair out of his face. 

"This is what the rest of our lives will be like." He swallowed past the lump in his throat. 

"Can't think of anything better," she said. "I love you." She gripped the hand that held her, and put his fingers on the ring. "This speaks for itself, I hope."

Percy smiled, and kissed the base of her neck. She squirmed a little. "Stop that, and go to sleep. Unless you  _ want _ to get up to something."

Percy checked his squeamishness factor.  _ Yeah, no.  _ He desisted. "Goodnight, Wise Girl."

"Goodnight, Seaweed Brain.”

Percy wasn't sure he would be able to sleep, but he must have been more tired than he thought, for the next thing he remembered was the sunlight peeking through the window of his room. There was the faint sound of Estelle crying in the next room, which must have been what woke him. Annabeth was still tucked into his arms, breathing the steady, even pace of sleep. The clock was on the table on the other side of the bed, and he could just see it over the top of her head. It read 6:48, so he sighed, planted a kiss on her bare shoulder where his t-shirt had slipped down, and used his free hand to pull the spare pillow down over his eyes. Thus darkened, her curled around Annabeth again, hearing her sigh softly and contentedly in her sleep, and drifted back off himself. 

When he woke up next, Annabeth was gone, and he could smell bacon cooking from the kitchen. The clock said 9:23 so he groaned, and climbed out of bed. He had slept more soundly than he could remember in a long time. He stretched, feeling his joints pop and muscles protest. He threw on a t-shirt and padded out to the kitchen. “Good morning,” he said to the room at large. Annabeth was seated at the table, with a plate in front of her. Mom was busy at the stove. Paul was holding Estelle, who was guzzling down a bottle. 

“Hey, sleepyhead,” Annabeth said cheerily. 

“Hey.” He crossed to her and planted a kiss on top of her head. “What time did you get up?” he asked.

“About 8:30. I heard your Mom get up with Estelle.” 

“I slept through that one,” he admitted. “I heard her around quarter of seven, but I went back to sleep.” He sat down in the chair next to Annabeth. 

“Would you like scrambled eggs or over easy with your bacon?” Mom asked. 

“Um,” he paused. “Over easy is fine, thanks Mom. You didn’t have to cook, I could have made my own.”

“You’re sweet,” she said, handing him a plate with bacon on it. “But I don’t want to have to buy a new frying pan again.”

Annabeth giggled. 

“That was  _ once _ ,” he whined. 

“You have many talents, Percy, love, but eggs are not one of them. If I was making pancakes, I would certainly have let you make your own,” she said. 

He grumbled. “So, how is my fiancée this morning?” he asked. 

Annabeth smiled at him. “I like that word.”

“So do I,” Percy said. 

“I’m good,” she said. “I slept really well.” She grinned at him, and for a moment they grinned at each other like a couple of loons. 

Finally, Percy cleared his throat. “That’s good. Are you headed back to school?” he asked. 

“Yeah,” she admitted. “I’ve got things to do for Monday, and more tests coming up,” she said. “And, I was wondering, with the holiday next weekend, I was thinking we might try and get up to Boston to see my cousin. If we’re going to do that, I need to get ahead of some things.” 

Percy remembered she had promised her cousin that she would bring Percy up to help him prep for dealing with sea gods, and a long sea journey. “Yeah, we could do that.” He turned to his Mom. “If that’s okay with you,” he asked.

“We have that Faculty picnic on Sunday night, remember,” Mom reminded him. “So as long as you’re back to watch Estelle, it’s fine.”

“Cool,” Percy said. “We can do that. How are we getting there?”

“Um,” Annabeth looked thoughtful. “Would you guys mind if we borrowed the car?” she asked. “I don’t really want to go by train again.”

Paul shrugged. “I don’t see why not,” he said. “I’m not going to need it that weekend. Just try not to run into any monsters this time.”

“I’ll try and get a message to Magnus and let him know we’re coming,” she said. “Just...not...sure how,” she mused thoughtfully. 

“You’ll figure it out,” Percy assured her. “Do you want to meet up for dinner, after you’ve had a chance to get some work done?” he asked. “I can come down to you.”

“Yeah, that sounds good. I’ll need a break by 5 or so,” she said. 

“Perfect.” Percy smiled. 

Annabeth was just finishing up her eggs, when Mom handed him his plate. She announced she was going to go get dressed for the day, and Percy cast a wistful look in her direction as she went down the hall, picturing her in his room, stripping off her pjs…

“Percy?” Mom’s voice broke through his less than family friendly daydream. 

“Yeah?” he asked, looking up.

“What are you going to do today?” she asked.

“I’ve got an essay to write for English,” he admitted. “And physics homework.”

“When’s the essay due?” Mom asked.

“Monday,” he said. “I wanted to finish it today, so if you’ve got time, you could look at it for me tomorrow.” 

“Good plan,” she said. She patted his head “I don’t say it enough, but I’m so proud of how you’ve handled your schoolwork this year.”

“Yes,” Paul added. “Your effort has been incredible.”

Percy blushed, but he grinned. “Mr. Adams told me he talked to you about my paper on the War on Terror,” he said. “I don’t think I ever mentioned it.”

“No,” Paul said. “But I’m glad he talked to you about it. All of your teachers have mentioned how much they appreciate your hard work this year,” he said. He winked at him, “I told them it was Annabeth’s fault.” 

Percy laughed. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Email TheAuthor@no2ticonderoga.com
> 
> Follow me on Twitter @No_2Ticonderoga
> 
> Visit my website (which I need to update) www.no2ticonderoga.com


	34. 34: Annabeth

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys!
> 
> So, I've got several chapters to post! You will probably get a pretty large dump this weekend, both here and in the companion piece.
> 
> They're not beta'ed, as before. Aggie is still dealing with the aftermath of losing her mom, so you can continue to send good thoughts her way. And work has been so busy, some of these have not gotten a traditional final check, but I'm tired of keeping you guys waiting. 
> 
> I hope you're excited! 
> 
> I'm NOT emotionally prepared for TON, and I've heard that the leaked chapters are full of more plot holes 😭...but I'm also not ready for it to end! 
> 
> I will be updating the tags here to reflect the fact that it'll be AU after TON comes out on Tuesday. I'm usually a canon guy, but I've been here before. My HP fic from back in the day was started after OOTP, and yeah, it went AU after HBP came out, and REALLY AU after DH, so I'll live. I'll continue to cherish my version of events. *hugs my versions of the characters*

Annabeth was torn when she returned to the dorm. The romantic part of her wanted to tell her friends immediately, but a part of her realized that it might seem really weird. 

So she didn’t say anything. She didn’t take the ring off, though, which she had (very) briefly considered. If people noticed, well, then it was up to them to ask.

Even though it was after noon, Kirsten was still asleep in her bed when Annabeth walked in, so she tried not to disturb her. Annabeth was relieved to see her. She'd talked a good game last night about wanting to party, but it was clear to Annabeth that she had only wanted to get her mind off her brother. She’d obviously made good on that, at least. Her dress and shoes were in a lump on the floor by the bed, and it looked like she’d simply stripped down and crawled into bed. Annabeth sat down on her bed, and tried to concentrate on the reading she needed for class the following week. It wasn’t easy, though, because she kept stopping to stare at the ring on her finger. 

She was going to be Mrs. Percy Jackson. She was torn about changing her name, though. A part of her was caught up in the romance of it, but on the other hand, keeping her last name would give her an identity of her own. Then again, if they got married before she started her professional career, then she would become known as Annabeth Jackson, rather than Chase. Either name was relatively unique. And it wasn’t as if she was attached to Chase. 

And when to get married. Percy had made it clear he’d be ready anytime. He’d even hinted (well, hinted was a weak word for it -Percy was as subtle as a sledgehammer) they could do it before they left for California, and get an apartment together when they got there, rather than live in the dorms. Annabeth wasn’t sure how she felt about that. Sure, there was a lot to recommend the idea...being together, combining expenses, starting a great adventure… but were they really ready for cohabitation? Well, there was really only one way to find out. 

“You’re back,” Kirsten muttered sleepily. She’d woken up while Annabeth had been daydreaming.

“And you’re awake,” Annabeth said. “Is this an obvious statement competition?”

Kirsten glared at her. She sat up in bed. Annabeth had been right about Kirsten’s state of undress. She’d stripped off her dress and crawled into bed. She was even still wearing her stockings. “Ugg…” Kirsten blinked blearily.

"How are you feeling?" Annabeth asked, concerned.

"Physically, I feel like I've been hit by a truck. Mentally?" She shrugged, then winced at the motion. "I mean, I thought maybe I could get away from it for a little while. But it didn't answer.” 

"What do you mean?"

"All those after school specials, that tell you that alcohol doesn't solve your problems, they're not wrong. I mean, I didn't really think it would. Can't bring Eddie back, after all. But I thought maybe I could try and have some fun, take my mind off it. But I didn't even have a good time. Everyone there sucked. I hated most of those people...well, some were okay, but the rest...I don’t know what the fuck I was doing.” Kirsten squeezed her eyes shut against internal pain, both physical and emotional.

“We do...stupid things when we’re overly emotional," Annabeth told her, wincing in her own mind at the thoughts she’d once entertained about joining the Hunters. “It’s okay. I don’t think you’ve permanently harmed yourself. And you’ll know better next time.”

“I got lucky,” Kirsten observed darkly. “Fortunately, the girls outnumbered the guys two to one, and they were mainly focused on getting with their dates. Otherwise…” She trailed off suggestively.

“Well, then thank the gods for small favors,” Annabeth said. 

Kirsten waved this away. "I was stupid. Should have just come back with Ava and watched a movie."

"So, exactly where  _ did _ you end up last night?” Annabeth asked.

“I got roped into Nikitha's group, and ended up at the suite that Libby had booked. There was a lot of booze there, the good stuff, too.” She groaned. “I didn’t think I’d had that much, but getting back here was a blur.” She closed her eyes tightly. 

Annabeth got up and went to their minifridge, pulling out a bottle of Poland Springs. “Here. You clearly need to hydrate.”

Kirsten took the bottle gratefully, but froze, her bleary eyes focusing on the hand that Annabeth extended the bottle with.

“What the fuck!?” she exclaimed loudly. Then she winced at the sound of her own voice. “Annabeth?”

“Um.” 

“Did you get fucking engaged last night?” 

“Um.”

“Where the fuck is my phone?” Kirsten muttered. She found it, and grabbed Annabeth’s hand. Before Annabeth had realized what she was doing, she’d snapped a pic of the ring on her hand, and was furiously texting someone.

“What are you doing?” Annabeth asked.

“Texting Ava and Kassandra to get the fuck over here,” Kirsten answered. Then she opened the water bottle and drank it down. She pulled her bathrobe off the back of her desk chair and wrapped herself in it, so she was at least halfway decent. “Do we have any Tylenol?” she asked.

Annabeth retrieved her some Tylenol and had just handed it over when their door burst open and Ava barged in. " _ What?"  _ she shrieked. Kirsten winced. 

"Not...so...loud," Kirsten said slowly. 

"She's hungover," Annabeth explained.

"Oh, sorry," Ava whispered. "But.. Annabeth, what the hell?" She demanded. "Did you really…"

"You're engaged?!?" Kassandra arrived in her bathrobe. Kirsten groaned and squeezed her eyes shut. "Annabeth, are you serious?"

Ava grabbed Annabeth's arm and examined her left hand. "That sure as hell ain't no friendship ring. Oh my God, Annabeth, it's stunning. Is this for real? You're really, actually engaged?" Annabeth could only nod, but she was grinning. She couldn't help it. She  _ was _ excited.

"Oh my God!" Kassandra squealed, and ran over and hugged her. Ava joined in for a group hug. 

"Could you...maybe?" Kirsten winced.

"Sorry," Kassandra said, turning and looking at Kirsten. "You look horrible."

"That's what happens when you end up hanging out with Libby's crowd," Ava said clinically. She turned to Annabeth. "I heard them tumble in about 3:30 AM. They made a hell of racket, and the RA was pissed. Brigitte threw up in the hall trash can. I saw her in the crowd stumbling back in here." She turned back to Kirsten. "You should have come back to the dorm with me."

“Just shut up,” Kirsten groaned. 

“Can we focus, please?” Kassandra demanded. “Screw the hangover, Annabeth is freakin’ engaged.”

“It’s...not like it wasn’t coming,” Annabeth said. She’d wanted to say,  _ it’s not a big deal, _ but that would have been a lie, because it was. It was a pretty big deal, especially to these friends, who only had the vaugest understanding of her relationship with Percy. What they saw right now, was a seventeen year old high school senior who was engaged to be married. That was a pretty big deal. 

“Well, yeah, but…” Ava just kind of trailed off, staring at Annabeth’s ring. “You’re not even out of high school yet!” she proclaimed finally.

“Are you pregnant?” Kassandra blurted out. 

Kirsten groaned. “Oh my God,” she grunted. She was lying down on the bed now, with her arm over her eyes. “Did you even pass sex ed? They only had sex last weekend for the first time. Even if she were, she wouldn’t know it for, like three weeks or something. And on top of that, she said they practiced safe sex.”

Annabeth rolled her eyes. “I am not pregnant. And no, Percy didn’t just propose because we had sex,” she added, stalling the next question. “He told me he’s had the ring for almost a month now, and that was well before we had sex.”

“So,” Kassandra asked, “how did he do it?” 

Annabeth told them how they had walked out to the bridge in Central Park, and how he had asked. 

“Oh my God, that is so romantic,” Ava swooned. “That’s like...romcom moment right there.”

“What did you do after?” Kassandra asked.

“We went back to Percy’s apartment and told his Mom and stepdad. I called my Dad. California is three hours behind, so it wasn’t too late. Then we went to bed,” she said, deciding not to elaborate on the change in their sleeping arrangements. 

“You didn’t…?” Kassandra asked suggestively, but with a blush.

“Small baby. Frequent and unexpected parental wake ups. We’ve been over this,” Annabeth said, giving the standard line she’d been giving all year. Though, she reflected, that point was moot now that they could share the bed. It had mainly been a deterrent to using the couch, where they could be interrupted. Sharing Percy’s room, if he could be convinced to get over his squick factor, had possibilities....

“Right,” Kassandra sounded disappointed. Kassandra was fishing for sordid details. Kassandra had been one of those girls who kept a copy of  _ 50 Shades of Grey  _ hidden in her nightstand, Annabeth knew.

“We should have a party,” Ava decided.

“What?” Annabeth was suddenly seized with terror. “Um, no, I don’t think...”

“Ooooooo!” Kassandra squealed. “We should! Like, a bridal shower or something.”

“Guys, it could be  _ years _ before we decide to actually get married,” Annabeth protested, though she knew Percy would probably wear her down on that point before college was over.  _ If not sooner.  _

“But still,” Ava said. “We should do  _ something _ .”

“Just...do it somewhere else, please,” Kirsten pleaded painfully. “You’re hurting my head.”

Kassandra looked at her with sympathy, but Ava just looked at her like a particularly stubborn lab specimen. 

“We should go. I need to go to the library anyway,” Annabeth announced. It was mostly true, but she was partly taking pity on Kirsten in dragging the other girls out with her. “C’mon, let’s go somewhere else.” She handed Kirsten another water bottle on her way out the door. “Drink more water,” she commanded.

“Yes, mother.” Kirsten tried for an eye roll, but couldn’t quite pull it off. Annabeth smiled and patted her shoulder, and they left the room. They ran into Libby almost immediately.

Libby looked almost as bad as Kirsten, wearing dark sunglasses inside, and was drinking Pedialyte straight from the bottle with a straw. “Hey,” she said, sounding considerably better than Annabeth would have credited. “Wasn’t last night a blast?” They made non committal noises. “Did you guys come to the after party?” she asked Annabeth. “I don’t remember seeing you and your hunky boyfriend. Find somewhere else to be?” she asked, suggestively.

Sometimes, Annabeth's proclivity toward pedantry got her in trouble. Sometimes, it happened in class, when she would correct a teacher. And right now, despite her avowed desire to lay low, she spoke without thinking. “Fiancé,” she corrected.

Libby blinked, “What?”

Annabeth ground her teeth in frustration with herself.  _ And of all the people to go popping off to.. _ . “I mean, um..”

Libby stared at her. “You...you’re…” She took a drink of her Pedialyte. “I’m not still drunk am I?” She looked at Annabeth’s hand. “Is that a ring?”

“We’re going to the library,” Ava told her, pushing them toward the door.

“Oh, no you don’t,” Libby protested. “You get back here.”

“See you later!” 

“Annabeth Chase, you can run but you can’t hide!” Libby announced. “I want details!” 

The rest of the weekend was a bit of blur, with Annabeth trying to dodge first everyone in her hall, and later everyone in the dorm. By Monday morning, the news was all over school. Annabeth took it in with a bemused tolerance. That was, until Ms. Burke arrived in her Calculus class and asked to see her.

Annabeth didn’t know her guidance counselor too well, but the look on Ms. Burke’s face was not exactly happy. Annabeth followed her to a conference room in the math building (her office was two buildings away).

“Annabeth,” Ms. Burke began. “I wanted to talk to you about your... _ engagement _ .” Annabeth felt her hackles rise at the way Ms. Burke said it. 

"What about it?" Annabeth asked carefully 

Ms. Burke pursed her lips. "I'm a little at a loss here, Annabeth. You have a reputation among your teachers as a very sensible kind of girl, not taken to flights of fancy. So, this is a bit of a surprise."

Annabeth decided not to say anything. She set her chin on her left hand and looked back at Ms. Burke with what she hoped was polite interest.

Ms. Burke was temporarily distracted by this ploy. She studied the ring for a moment, and then glanced at her own hand. Ms. Burke was married, Annabeth knew that, even though she used Ms. and not Mrs. professionally. She seemed to be comparing her own ring to Annabeth’s. The comparison was... probably distressing for her Annabeth realized. "That's... that's quite a ring," she said, as if she was surprised. What was she expecting? A toy from the Cracker Jack box?

"Thank you," Annabeth replied politely. "Percy did a good job picking it out."

"Percy, your boyfriend?"

"Fiancé," Annabeth corrected.

"Annabeth, I don't think many of us knew you had a boyfriend until prom. How long have you known Percy?" Ms. Burke asked.

Annabeth did the math. "Almost six years."

"Six years?" Ms. Burke was taken aback. 

_ Did she really think I was getting engaged to someone I've known for a few months or something? Maybe.  _

"Percy and I have almost grown up together," Annabeth said. "We've been dating for two years."  _ Okay, a little less than two years, but who's counting? Time isn’t the same in Tartarus.  _

"Oh. Oh." Ms. Burke paused and Annabeth thought she was processing this information and revaluating her understanding of the situation. "I had no idea," Ms. Burke said finally.

"That's okay," Annabeth said brightly, hoping that would be the end of it. No such luck.

"Is he...going into the military, after graduation?" Ms. Burke asked. She sounded off balance, like she was still trying to make sense of anything. She'd probably come in here, expecting to persuade Annabeth that, no, she was not really engaged, because that was ridiculous for a seventeen year old who barely knew the boy. 

But she was confronted by a very real, very serious ring. And a relationship that went a lot deeper than she could possibly understand. 

"No," Annabeth told her. She knew where Ms. Burke's thinking was on this. Lots of military couples rushed to get married, so the spouse would be covered by health benefits, and death benefits. 

"Oh." Ms. Burke chewed on the inside of her cheek for a moment. “But…”

“Ms. Burke,” Annabeth began slowly. “I’m trying not to be offended here, but I’m pretty sure you dragged me out of class to tell me that my engagement is fake, and I’m too young to be getting engaged to someone I barely know, am I right?”

“Well, I…” she floundered, flustered. “Annabeth, you are only seventeen…”

“I’ll be eighteen in less than two months,” Annabeth pointed out. “And I’m perfectly aware of what this,” she waved her ring at Ms. Burke. “Means.” She took a breath trying to stay calm amid her indignation. “Percy and I are not total strangers. In fact, there is no one on this planet I know better than Percy Jackson. We know exactly what we're doing." 

“Annabeth, are you pregnant?” Ms. Burke asked.

_ Gods of Olympus, is that what  _ everyone _ was going to assume?  _ She hadn’t considered that. “No,” said Annabeth firmly. “That would be a physical impossibility.” So, if Percy wasn’t shipping off to war, the next logical option was that they were headed for a shotgun wedding. Was it really so hard for her to wrap her head around the concept that they might actually be, y’know, in love?

“Well, then, I…” Ms. Burke stammered. The phone buzzed on the table. She snatched it up like a lifeline. "Yes?" A pause. "Oh...um. Put him through." Ms. Burke pushed a button and hung up the handset. There was a click and then a familiar voice on the speakerphone "Hello?"

"Hello, Dr. Chase," Ms. Burke said. “Thank you for returning my call.”

“Is everything all right?”

‘Yes, Dad,” Annabeth put in before Ms. Burke could answer.

There was a sudden burst of static on the line. “Annabeth? Are you there?”

“Annabeth is here,” Ms. Burke clarified, looking a bit annoyed. “Dr. Chase, the reason I called was to talk to you about Annabeth’s boyfriend.”

“Fiancé,” Annabeth corrected.

“Percy?” her dad asked in surprise. “What about him?”

“Well, after the prom on Friday night, it seems that Percy asked Annabeth to marry him,” she said.

“Oh, yes, I know, isn't it lovely? He called me about a week ago to ask my blessing. And they called me Friday night after the dance. Three hours earlier in California, you know.” He chuckled.

Now poor Ms. Burke looked  _ really _ confused. Annabeth almost felt bad for her. Had she really thought that Annabeth and Percy were some kind of star crossed teenage lovers, ready to run off without telling anyone? Did that really happen? Annabeth supposed guidance counsellors saw all kinds of things. “O..oh, you knew?”

“Of course I knew!” her Dad said. He sounded confused for a moment. “Did you call me because you thought they didn’t tell me?”

“Well...yes,” Ms. Burke admitted. “In my experience, these sorts of things, they’re impulsive, and, at this age, they don’t really understand…”

Her father’s laughter came over the phone line. “My dear lady, I’m afraid you have entirely the wrong idea if you think that Annabeth and Percy don’t understand what kind of commitment they’re making to each other,’ he said. “Please, put your mind at ease. This is not some overheated tragic Romeo and Juliet romance in the making. You will find that I am fully aware of their intentions, as is Sally Jackson. And we both could not be more pleased that our children have each other.” 

Ms. Burke’s mouth made a little “o”, as she took this in. “Well, that’s very good to hear, Dr. Chase. You understand that something this serious...we take the health and safety of our students very seriously. Teenagers are quite vulnerable, you know.” She was trying to recover her equilibrium.

“Vulnerable?” Dr. Chase scoffed. “If you’re worried that Percy pressured her into something, don’t worry. For the first part, Percy could never hurt Annabeth, and secondly, Annabeth could kick his butt if he tried.” 

“Thanks, Dad,” Annabeth said. “I love you, too.”

“You’re welcome, dear. Was there anything else, Ms. Burke?” her dad asked. “The connection is getting all fuzzy all of a sudden.

“No, that was all, Dr. Chase. I thank you for returning my call, and...” Dr. Burke swallowed. “Clarifying the situation for me.”

“Don’t worry about Annabeth and Percy,” Dr. Chase said. “Their relationship is stronger now than most people I know who have been married 20 years, or more. It may seem strange to you, but it makes perfect sense to the rest of us,” he said. “I think I’ve known since they were 12.”

Ms. Burke looked at Annabeth as if she had six heads. 

“Bye, Dad, I love you.”

“Love you, too, Annabeth.”

“Have a good day, Dr. Chase,” Ms. Burke managed.

“You as well.” The line went dead. Ms. Burke slowly hung up the phone.

“Can I go back to class now?” Annabeth asked. 

Ms. Burke didn’t seem to hear the question. She just kind of looked back and forth between Annabeth’s face and the ring on her finger. “Seventeen,” she muttered finally. 

Annabeth sighed. 

Later, after lunch, Annabeth hung back before leaving Chem class. Ava was waiting for her in the hallway. “Dr. Campbell?” Annabeth asked.

She looked up from clearing away the chemicals on the lab bench. “Yes, Annabeth?” 

“I was wondering,” Annabeth bit her lip. She was not good at these sorts of things. “I’ve made the Top 10, and I was wondering,” Annabeth hesitated. “I was wondering if you would introduce me at the dinner.”

“Annabeth, I’d be honored to!” Dr. Campbell exclaimed. “And congratulations! That’s wonderful news.”

“Thank you,” Annabeth said. “I’m a little surprised, myself. Since I was only here two years.”

“Well, I’ve seen your transcripts, Annabeth, your transfer grades were excellent, so this is a well deserved honor.” Dr. Campbell poured the contents of a blue beaker down the bench sink. 

“Thank you,” Annabeth blushed.

“Will your family be coming to the dinner?”

“Um. My Dad’s in California, and he’s already coming for graduation, so, probably not,” she admitted. “But my boy...fiancé’s family is here in New York, and they’ll be here.”

Dr. Campbell’s eyebrow’s rose. “Fiancé?” 

Annabeth nodded. “Yes, Percy.” She showed her left hand. “We got engaged this weekend.” 

“Congratulations,” Dr. Campbell said, and for once, an adult in her life sounded like they meant it...well, aside from her parents and Percy’s parents. 

“Thank you,” Annabeth said, grinning shyly. “We’re very excited.”

“Are you planning to get married…soon?” she asked. She sounded a bit uncertain about that. 

Annabeth shrugged. “Not sure yet. Haven’t talked that part through yet. We’ll see.” Dr. Campbell shrugged and went back to sorting test tubes. 

“Well, I’ll look forward to meeting him, then,” she said, racking a clean set for her next class. 

“Thank you,” Annabeth said. “I’m excited for them all to meet you. Your help has meant a lot to me this year.”

“Thank you, Annabeth That means a lot to me,” she smiled.

“I’ve got to get to class,” Annabeth said. “I’ll see you later.”

“See you in class,” Dr. Campbell said. 

Annabeth left, and sighed. “Well, that part’s done,” she said to Ava.

“Now you just have to write your speech,” Ava pointed out. 

“Oh, gods,” Annabeth said. “Do I have to?”

Ava nodded. “Look on the bright side, at least you only have one to write. I have to write two, and I’ll have a much larger audience for the second one,” Ava pointed out. Ava had finished 2nd, and as salutatorian, had a speaking slot at graduation. Normally, her pride might have made her feel jealous she hadn't finished higher, but Annabeth was glad to have avoided that complication. 

“Better you than me.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Email: The Author@No2ticonderoga.com
> 
> Follow me on Twitter: @No_2Ticonderoga


	35. 35: Percy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hinted I might have multiple chapters today! Here you go!
> 
> Enjoy!
> 
> As an FYI, I'm working on drafting Chapter 52 right now, and I'll tell ya, you guys are going to love 51. Somebody's going to get some well earned karma...

Monday morning came all too early for Percy. 

“Morning, mi amigo,” Yose called, as Percy met up with his friends before the first bell. They always staked out a place near the locker rooms. Percy high-fived Josh and Kamal. 

“How was Annabeth’s prom?” Darah asked. 

“Oh, it was great,” Percy told them. “I’d never been to the Plaza ballroom before, it was pretty wild. Food was a little weird, that gourmet stuff, with the little tiny portions. That kinda sucked. But the music was good and her friends were cool.”

“Not as cool as us,” Emma prompted. “Amirite?”

“Nah, of course not,” Percy said. Though privately, he thought Annabeth’s friends were pretty cool. “So how were your weekends?” he asked.

His friends filled him in on their various goings on. The first bell rang and they all began to head their separate ways to class. Percy fell into step beside Josh and Darah, who were headed the same way he was. “Uh, guys, I’ve got something to tell you, that I didn’t want to tell everyone just yet...well, maybe at lunch. I’m just not sure...” Percy trailed off. He really didn’t know how to express this. 

“What’s up?” Josh asked.

Percy took a deep breath.  _ Here goes.  _ “I asked Annabeth to marry me after the dance on Friday night. We’re engaged,” he said finally.

Darah gave a little squeaky shriek, and Josh just kind of looked stunned. “What?” he said. “Are you fucking serious right now?”

Percy nodded. “Yeah.” He looked at them. Josh just kind of blinked and shook his head. And then he smiled. 

“Mazel tov,” Josh said finally, and then hugged him. 

“How did you do it?” Darah wanted to know, she was practically begging.

Percy described a little bit about the Park and the Bridge. “And then she said yes.”

“Ohmigod!” Darah squealed, giving him a hug. “That’s so romantic! I’m so happy for you. You have to bring Annabeth around again, I want to see her ring.”

“I will,” he promised. “Just...don’t spread it around too much. It’s not a secret,” he said quickly. “But I’d prefer to tell people myself, if possible.” Darah nodded eagerly.

“I understand,” she said, and she bounced off to her class, after giving Josh a kiss on the cheek. 

Josh looked at him sideways. “Is that the only reason you don’t want us telling everyone? Does your mom and dad know?” he asked, shrewdly, Percy thought.

“Yes,” he said. “And her Dad,” he added. “It’s not a secret engagement or anything like that. It’s just...people might think it’s weird because we’re young and I don’t want people to gossip too much,” he said. He supposed there was probably no avoiding it, unless he’d wanted to keep it a secret, and that would have been impossible. He wanted to burst, really. 

“Yeah, I can see that,” Josh agreed. “People start asking a lot of questions, prying into your personal stuff.”

“I do everything I can these days to stay off the radar,” Percy said. “Only a month to go to graduation, then I’m outta here.”

“You’ll have to get a phone then,” Josh pointed out. “Otherwise how will we stay in touch?”

Percy nodded. “I’ll get something before I leave for California,” he said. “We’ll have to hang out some this summer, the four of us, get dinner at least a couple times.”

“I like it,” Josh answered. The warning bell rang, and they sprinted the rest of the way to class.

Later, at lunch, Percy plucked up his courage and told the rest. They were sitting around their usual table near the windows. “Um, hey, guys, so,” he took a breath “After her prom Saturday night, I asked Annabeth to marry me, and she said yes.”

“No _ shit!”  _ Gianna exclaimed.

Yose was stunned. “You freakin’ kidding me?” 

“Congratulations, man,” Kamal offered. 

“Wow,” Emma said. “This is like, so weird. We’ve barely met her, and she’s already your fiancée.” 

“Are you guys, like, going to elope before you head off to college in the fall?” Gianna asked.

“We haven’t really talked about that part yet,” Percy admitted. “We’ve been too excited telling everyone to make many plans.”

“This is exciting,” Emma observed to the table at large, “This is the first time one of my friends has gotten engaged.”

“You guys, aren’t, like, secretly engaged, or something?” San asked. “I mean, it sounded like you got along with her relatives okay.”

“Oh, no, it’s not a secret,” Percy explained hastily. “It’s just us. We don’t need to wait. We know.”

“Seventeen is awfully young to just know,” San pointed out.

Percy shrugged. “Not for us,” he said. He knew he couldn’t explain it. They would either accept it or not. 

“It’s so romantic,” Darah swooned. “After all the stories she told about him at prom, would you even doubt it?”

“Naw,” Yose said. “It still took some major cojones, chacho.” She punched him in the shoulder. “Congratulations.” 

The others added their congratulations as well. 

“Thanks, guys,” he said.

“Oh, hey,” Emma put in brightly. “My parents are having a big bash on Sunday, and they told me I could have friends over on Monday and feast on whatever they had leftover. Why don’t you invite Annabeth, and we’ll all get together and have a pool party?” Emma lived out in Westchester County, where her parents had a big house with a pool and tennis courts. Emma said they lived somewhere near where the Clintons lived. If they were having a party, it was probably going to be catered, so that meant the leftovers would be quality. 

“All right!” Yose exclaimed. “A party sounds like just what the doctor ordered.” 

“And,” Darah pointed out. “We’ll get to see Annabeth’s ring.” She sighed romantically. Emma nodded in agreement. San rolled his eyes, and Kamal and Josh just shrugged.

“I’m always up for a party,” Kamal added.

“I might have to study,” San warned. Gianna threw her straw wrapper at him.

Percy nodded. “I’ll check with Annabeth. We’re going up to Boston on Friday night to see her cousin for the first part of the weekend, but we’ll be back on Sunday. I don’t think it will be a problem.”

“Awesome.” 

The rest of the day dragged on, as far as Percy was concerned. He was leaving his second to last period class, and was confronted in the hallway by two girls he sort of knew, Lilly and Danique, who were friends with Yose. “Percy, are you really engaged?” Lilly asked. “Like, seriously? I couldn’t tell if Yose was joking or not.”

“Yeah,” Percy answered. “I am.”

“OhmiGawd!” Lilly exclaimed.

“Dude, that’s crazy!” Danique added. “To that girl you brought to prom?”

“Well, yeah, she is my girlfriend...well, fiancée, now,” he corrected.

“I thought she was  _ joking _ ,” Lilly said. 

Percy shook his head, and then said “Excuse me,” and pushed past them. Percy could almost feel the news rippling outward across the school, like a little frisson across his skin. 

People were staring at him when he got to his next class, whispering to each other. He pulled up his chair next to Kamal, and rolled his eyes. Kamal just shrugged. One of their classmates looked on the verge of saying something, but Mr. Adams called the class to order and began the lesson, saving Percy from further questioning.

He was planning his escape out the door, trying to figure the fastest way out the building that passed the fewest number of people. He was actually thinking of ducking into Paul’s classroom until the hallways emptied. There were about 10 minutes left in class when there was a knock at the door. Mr. Adams answered it. Percy couldn’t see from his angle who was at the door, but Mr. Adams’ eyes flicked to Percy as he talked to the person in the hall, and Percy sank down in his seat with a groan. 

“Percy,” Mr. Adams called him over. Kamal shot him a sympathetic look as Percy stood up and crossed to the door. Percy was less than surprised to find Ms. DiOrio standing on the other side. 

“Hi Percy.” She looked concerned, which made Percy groan inwardly. “Can we talk for a minute?” 

Percy threw a glance at Mr. Adams that he had hoped would have been along the lines of “save me, say no,” but Mr. Adams made a little wave with his hand, and went back to the class. 

Ms. DiOrio led the way down the hall, and, spying an empty conference room, ducked in. 

“Is everything ok, Ms. DiOrio?” Percy asked, deciding to see if he could throw her off balance by pretending he didn’t know what the problem was.

“Um, well, Percy, it’s come to my attention that there are some strange rumors going around the school right now, and I wanted to find out if you knew about them,” she said. “We can take disciplinary action if someone is trying to harass you.” She looked very stern and concerned. 

Percy almost laughed. Ms. DiOrio had the entire wrong end of the stick. She thought someone was spreading rumors about him. “What rumors?” He kept up the dumb routine. It was one of his old reliable standbys.

“Well,” she began warily. “I’ve heard a couple of different versions, but they all start with you asking your girlfriend to marry you.” 

“I did.” He checked the clock on the wall. 

“Did what?” She sounded confused.

“Ask her to marry me. She said yes. We’re engaged.” Wasn’t that obvious?

“Oh.” She was nonplussed, but recovered enough to say “Congratulations!” 

“Thank you.” He couldn’t help it, he grinned. She said yes, she was his. Not that he really ever doubted it. “Wait, you said ‘start with.’”

“Well, the most common rumor I’d heard was that she’s pregnant,” Ms. DiOrio said. “Is she pregnant?”

Now Percy did laugh. “Gods, no,” he said. “That would be...impossible.”

"Are you two sexually active?" she asked, fully in guidance counselor mode now.

"Well, yes," he admitted, but continued before she could interrupt. "But she's on birth control and I always use a condom. We're not taking chances," he said. It was moderately mortifying to have to go through this with her, but it was kind of like ripping a band aid off. Once quickly and done. 

“Oh, well, that’s good to know,” she said. “So, she’s not pregnant.” She asked once more, just to be certain.

“No,” he declared firmly.

Ms. DiOrio pursed her lips. “Then...well…” she shook her head. “Can you start at the beginning?”

Percy sighed. “I asked Annabeth to marry me after her prom this weekend. I told my friends this morning. Clearly, the story spread from there, one way and another.”

“Oh,” Ms. DiOrio said. “So…”

Percy sighed. “So it’s not someone trying to harass me,” he said. “Can I go back to class now?”

“Um.” Ms. DiOrio bit her lip. “Percy, I have to ask...how long have you known...Annabeth? Was that her name?”

“Like, half of my life,” he said. “We’ve been together for two years,” he said.

“Oh,” Ms. DiOrio said, the furrows on her brow lifting slightly.

Percy glanced at the clock. “The bell’s going to ring, can I go now?”

Ms. DiOrio nodded absently, still looking like she was trying to digest everything. Percy slipped out and went back to class before she could think of anything else to say. He got back to his seat just as Mr. Adams was finishing up the class. Kamal handed him his notes so Percy could copy them down, which he started to frantically do. “Take your time,” Kamal said. “I’ll wait.” Percy nodded, and concentrated more. The bell rang, and most everyone shuffled out. Percy finished copying Kamal’s notes, and handed the notebook back. 

“Thanks, man,” Percy said.

“No problem, I’ll see you tomorrow,” Kamal stuck his notebook in his bag, and headed out. 

“Inshallah,” Percy said with a grin, as he started to pack his own bag. Kamal shot him a thumbs up.

“Everything OK, Percy?” Mr. Adams asked.

“Yes,” Percy told him. “Just a little misunderstanding,” he explained. 

“Is this about the rumor that I’ve been hearing since lunchtime?” 

“Which one?” Percy asked. “The one where I’m engaged, or the one where I’m going to be a dad?”

Mr. Adams chuckled. “Both, actually. I take it that it’s not true?”

“Only partially,” Percy said. “Annabeth is  _ not _ pregnant. She did agree to marry me, though. I guess people think the only reason I might have asked her would be because she was pregnant.” He sighed. “I probably should have expected that.”

“Congratulations,” Mr. Adams said. “That’s very exciting for you guys.”

“Thank you,” Percy said. 

“It is a little out of the ordinary,” Mr. Adams admitted. “People don’t like things they don’t understand, so they put things in a context that makes sense in their own minds. For most people, high school seniors getting engaged only makes sense in that context.” Mr. Adams popped a Coke. “I’m assuming that since this rumor is flying around the school, it wasn’t supposed to be a secret or anything. Paul knows about this?”

“Of course,” Percy said. “He and mom were the first people to find out, before we called Annabeth’s dad in California.”

“Then I wouldn’t worry about it. Kids will be kids. They’ll talk for a day or two, then something else will grab their attention. It doesn’t really affect you. It’s just annoying.”

“That’s for sure,” Percy agreed. He finished packing his bag. “Thanks, Mr. Adams.”

“Percy, this Annabeth…?”

“She keeps me sane,” Percy said. “We’ve known each other since Middle School, and she’s been with me through the most difficult parts of my life,” he said. “She’s...my rock.”

Mr. Adams nodded solemnly. “Then hang on, and don’t let go. Congratulations, Percy.” He held out his hand. Percy took it, and they shook warmly.

“Thanks.” Percy got the feeling that of anyone at Goode, Mr. Adams probably understood better than anyone except Paul. 

Later, Percy met Annabeth at the Starbucks near her dorm. “Hey Wise Girl,” he said, as she slid in next to him. They kissed briefly. “How was your day?” She groaned. “That good, huh?”

She told him of her meeting with her counsellor, and Percy shared his experiences. She squawked indignantly at Percy’s story about the rumor that she was pregnant. “Gods, does everyone think we’re that dumb?” she asked.

“To be fair, we are teenagers, and there is a lot of that that goes around. Teenagers being dumb, I mean,” he clarified.

She sighed, and leaned into him, sucking down her mocha latte. “I mean, it would at least feel a little less ridiculous if we’d had sex more than twice.” 

“True,” Percy admitted. “But they don’t know that. For all they know, we get it on everyday.”

She elbowed him in the gut. “You’d like that wouldn’t you?”

“Do you expect me to say no?” he grinned. 

She snorted. “No, I suppose not, when I want you as much as I do.”

“Well, maybe this weekend,” he suggested hopefully. “When we go up to Boston. Speaking of which, where are we staying? I discovered last week that you have to be 18 to book a hotel.”

“Oh?” she arched her eyebrows at him. “How did you discover this fact?”

“I may or may not have looked into getting one for after your prom,” Percy allowed. “Discovered it’s a moot point.”

“Mm. Well, fortunately, we have friends,” she said. “When Rachel was here, I was telling her about Magnus, and she says that her dad owns a building in Boston, and keeps several apartments there for when he travels or hosts clients. She said she would put us on the visit list, and all we would have to do would be to talk to the security desk, and they would set us up.”

“Nice!” Percy was thrilled at the idea.. “That’s exciting.” 

Annabeth nodded. “So. Let’s talk about this.” She held her left hand out in front of her, and they both paused a moment to stare at the ring that sparkled there on her finger.

“What about it?” Percy finally asked.

“When do you want to get married?” She leaned into him. 

Percy grinned. “August, right after we’re both 18, and before we leave for California,” he answered automatically.

“Sell me on why that’s a good idea,” Annabeth ordered. 

Percy blinked. That had  _ not  _ been the reaction he was expecting. “Um. Because then we’re married. And we could get an apartment together when we get to California. And why wait? What’s the point in waiting?” He was warming to his topic. “Amphitrite said something to me when I visited the palace. She said: ‘Mortals live such short lives, why waste them when you want to be with someone?’ And I guess that’s my argument. Why waste time?”

Annabeth considered this. “Okay,” she said, slowly. “If we did get married, you would want to do it at Camp?” she asked.

“As long as we can convince Chiron to give our families permission to enter camp for the wedding,” he clarified. “Otherwise, I’m not sure.”

She nodded. “So, here’s something for you to think about; what if we got an apartment together in New Rome, but waited until next summer to get married, and give ourselves a year to actually plan it?”

Percy considered. “Do you really think we can sell our parents on that plan?” he asked. 

“Well, based on what happened this weekend at your mom’s, it doesn’t seem like it would be that hard there. My dad would be more of an issue, though he’s hardly in a position to dictate how I live my life. But his proximity to New Rome might be an issue. Ultimately, though, we  _ are _ both going to be 18 by the time summer is over, and technically, our parents are no longer an issue.”

“True,” Percy agreed. “But I would prefer not to needlessly antagonize them.”

“Fair.” She acknowledged the point. “We could go out to California right after graduation, go apartment hunting,” she suggested. 

“Okay,” Percy agreed. “You’re serious about this?” he asked. He hadn’t thought she would be willing to go that step.

“I’m thinking of it as a compromise,” she explained. “I know it’s why you want to get married right away,” she said. “But I think we’ll need more than two months to plan a wedding.” 

“Do we, though?” he asked. “What’s to plan? You have a dress, we know who we want to invite, and if we have it at Camp, we don’t even need to book a place.” He pointed out, logically, he thought. “What’s the benefit to waiting?” 

Annabeth pursed her lips. “Honestly, I don’t know...I just...it doesn’t feel weird to you, to think we’d be barely 18, and getting married? When the average marriage age is at least 10 years older?”

“That’s 10 more years with you,” he said, logically. “Why wait?”

She sighed. “You’re sweet.” She kissed his cheek. “I’ll think about it. There’s some logistics to hammer out too.”

Percy shrugged. “Okay.” It was the best he could hope for at the moment. He wouldn’t press her. “I just can’t wait to call you Mrs. Jackson.”

“Mm,” she said noncommittally. “I’m not sure how I feel about that, to be honest. I’m not sure if I would want to keep Chase.”

“Oh?” Percy asked. He found he didn’t really care, but he was curious.

“I mean, I’m not sure,” she said. “On one hand, I’m known as Annabeth Chase, all of my chief accomplishments are under that name. Architect of Olympus. Hero. On the other hand, do I really want or need that to keep following me around? If I’m Annabeth Jackson, I become a little more anonymous. Sort of. And if we get married before we graduate college, then at least I’ll be starting my professional career as ‘Annabeth Jackson’, and not having to switch, and reestablish a reputation. Or not switch at all. I mean, there is the whole ‘it’s a tradition which denies women their own identity’, as Kirsten would say. But it is romantic.” She sighed. “Maybe we should switch names, and then we could both be anonymous. Percy Chase and Annabeth Jackson.”

Percy snorted. “That sounds like the kind of thing Mr. D would do.”

Annabeth chuckled. “That does sound like him, doesn’t it?” 

“Let’s put it this way, if I ever needed a list of potential aliases, he’s provided me with a pretty comprehensive list.”

“So, what are your plans for the week?” she asked.

“I really need to start buckling down on studying for finals.” He sighed. He really wasn’t looking forward to that. 

“I’ll help you,” she promised. “What are the classes you’re worried about the most?” 

“Probably physics. Though the others aren’t a picnic either. I’m probably least worried about the history class, but it’s still going to need study.”

“Good plan. You’ve enjoyed the history class. We’ll start working on physics first. Do you have any review guides yet?” she asked.

“Mom ordered one weeks ago,” Percy said. 

“Good,” she said firmly. “We’ll get through this. It can’t be any worse than what we’ve done before.”

Percy grinned. “Well, if I can fight my way to the Doors of Death, I can probably manage the Senior Finals.” He laughed. “Maybe that’s why school has been easier this year. After last year, nothing seems terrifying anymore.”

“Silver linings,” Annabeth sighed. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Love it? Hate it? Have questions? Want to send me baked goods as a thank you? Email: TheAuthor@no2ticonderoga.com
> 
> Want to read my infrequent thoughts on Twitter: @no_2ticonderoga


	36. 36: Annabeth

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One more for the road!
> 
> Still chunking away!
> 
> Two more days to TON!

“Drive safely you guys,” Sally said, standing on the curb. The Prius was loaded with their suitcases, Percy behind the wheel. 

“We will,” Percy promised. “We’ll try and call when we get there.” 

“Watch out for State Troopers in Connecticut,” Paul added. “They’re super aggressive with the speed traps coming out of New York.”

Annabeth glanced down 63rd Street toward 2nd Ave, and the bumper to bumper gridlock that clogged the roadway. Speeding looked like it would be the least of their worries, headed out of town on the Friday of Memorial Day. 

“I’ll be careful,” Percy assured Paul. Percy seemed very earnest. Which, was perhaps understandable, since it seemed like every other time he borrowed the car, it came back damaged. 

“Have fun,” Sally told them. “Take good care of your cousin, Annabeth.”

“I will,” Annabeth promised. 

Percy spotted an opening, and pulled out into traffic. Annabeth waved as they pulled away. 

“Okay,” Percy declared, sounding relieved that they were finally on the road. “Only, like 5 hours to go.” He looked at the traffic ahead of them. “Are we there yet?”

Annabeth sighed. “I  _ will _ kill you.” 

The first two hours of the drive did indeed tax their patience with each other. It wasn’t quite the same as being trapped in Tartarus - the other cars weren’t actively trying to kill them, mostly - but the lack of immediate mortal peril did mean that being trapped in a small, mostly not moving box gave them the opportunity to put their relationship to a new kind of test. 

They emerged into moving traffic somewhere on the other side of Waterbury, with their relationship intact. 

“Sorry about back there,” Percy apologized. What exactly he was apologizing for was not clear to Annabeth, but it was enough.

“Yeah, I probably wasn’t helping,” she admitted. She had discovered she was a horrid backseat driver. Not really surprising, given her control-freak tendencies, but she knew she had contributed to his short temper by trying to suggest short cuts, or lane changes, or some other thing. 

As a peace offering, she turned the stereo back on, with Percy’s preferred music. They had turned it off at some point, because they’d been fighting over the music. 

“Love you,” Percy said. He gave her a quick smile before returning his eyes to the road. 

“Love you, too,” Annabeth said with a sigh. She put her feet up on the dashboard. “I should paint my toenails again before Monday,” she observed, clinically eyeing the state of her pedicure. It was pretty well chipped at this point. If she was going to a pool party, she should at least look presentable. It was the first real mortal pool party she’d ever been invited to. “Who all is coming?”

“Well, the swim team folks,” Percy began. “Except for San, maybe, who might be a jerk and stay home and study.” Annabeth could hear the eyeroll in his voice. “And maybe a few other friends of Emma’s.”

“Who are they?” she asked.

“Oh, Emma’s a Key Club officer. She’s chummy with some of those folks. I’m not sure who she might have invited.”

“How many?” Annabeth asked. She was nervous about meeting a lot of new people.

“I don’t think there’s going to be more than 10 or 12 people total, including us. So, like, maybe 4 or 5 people you haven’t met yet,” Percy reassured her. 

“That’s not bad,” Annabeth said.

“I’ve never been to Emma’s house. But she’s talked about it. She says it’s huge, and it’s just her and her parents now, she’s the youngest of 3, and they’re all off at college. They’ve got tennis courts and stuff.” Percy sounded like he didn’t quite believe it. 

“Impressive,” Annabeth said.

“I don’t think they’re as wealthy as Rachel’s folks, but still.” Percy shrugged. “More than me.”

“Ava has money like Rachel,” Annabeth said. “She said her parents are going to have her graduation party at their house in the Hamptons.”

Percy whistled. “Daaaamn. Any chance I’ll be invited?”

“I’m sure I’ll be able to bring you as a guest.” Annabeth laughed. “I didn’t know you’d be excited about that.”

Percy shrugged. “Mom and I used to drive by all those places on the way to Montauk, I’ve always wondered what they looked like on the inside.”

“Well, I guess we’ll find out,” she said. 

“Hey, you want to open that bag of chips for me?” he asked. “I’m starving.”

“We should probably stop for dinner soon.” But she opened the bag anyway.

“I want to put some more distance between us and that mess back there,” Percy explained. “Before we find a place to stop.”

“Fair enough,” Annabeth agreed.

They talked and chatted much more amiably, as they cruised through Connecticut. They finally stopped for dinner outside Hartford, where they ate at a retro-50s diner. They’d gotten indulgent smiles from the waitstaff as they had shamelessly flirted through dinner, and then ordered a big ice-cream sundae with two spoons for dessert. Percy had ended up with whipped cream on his nose, which Annabeth had tried to lick off. They were laughing as they made their way back to the Prius. He’d pinned her against the trunk to give her a searing kiss. 

“Having fun?” Percy asked.

“Yes,” she said breathlessly. “You?”

“It’s great. It’s like...questing without the threat of dying at every turn. Can’t remember the last time I’ve enjoyed travelling this much,” he admitted. “And even better, I get to do it with my best friend,” he added, as they climbed back in. She took his hand and held it, as they got back on the highway. “You know,” he said thoughtfully. “This trip is good practice for marriage.”

“Oh?” She raised her eyebrows at this. 

“Well, sure,” he said. “If we can still stand each other after sitting in New York traffic for two hours, and still have fun along the way, we must love each other, right? And it’s like a preview of what married life will be. Dinners out together, flirting in restaurants, long talks just the two of us.” He grinned briefly at her, before returning his eyes to the road. “Seems like fun to me.”

Annabeth shook her head and smiled. “You’re something else, Seaweed Brain.” She yawned.

“Why don’t you try and catch a nap?” he asked. 

“You’re sure?” She wanted to, really. “What about you?”

“I’ll wake you up if I need you,” he promised her. “You go ahead.” He blew a kiss into the air toward the windshield with a smile. 

Annabeth smiled, and reclined her seat. She closed her eyes and felt herself start to drift, to the sound of the wheels on the road, and Percy, humming along with the music. 

She woke with a start to Percy cursing colorfully. It was fully dark now, and she sat up quickly. “What’s wrong?” she asked.

“The damn road signs,” Percy said. “They’re going by too fast for me to make some of them out, and I’m afraid I took a wrong turn.” He swore again, cursing his dyslexia.

“You should have woken me up sooner,” she scolded, pulling the seat up, and pulling out the directions. “Where are we?”

“We’re coming up on Boston,” he said. “We’re on the Mass Pike. I’m just not sure where.”

Annabeth scanned the road ahead for signs. “You focus on the road,” she told him. “I’ll navigate.” His short, curt nod told Annabeth much about his level of frustration. She pointed. “You’re going to want to be in the right lane, coming up,” she said. “We’ve overshot our exit, but I think I can get us turned around.”

It took another 20 minutes of navigating downtown Boston, which, unlike New York, was a rat-warren of oddly shaped streets and nonsensical road signs, but they finally found their destination. By New York standards, it barely qualified as a high-rise, but it seemed tall by Boston standards. It lived in the shadow of a much larger building, which seemed much more New York. There was a parking entrance, and Percy pulled in. He rolled down the window for the guard in the hut.

“Hey,” he said. “Is this,” he rattled off the address. The guard nodded. “Awesome. We’re here as guests of Rachel Elizabeth Dare?” he said hopefully. The guard checked something on a clipboard and nodded. He flipped a switch and the parking gate rose.

“Second level down, spaces 23 or 24,” he told him. “Have a nice evening.”

“You too,” Percy said with obvious relief. He rolled up the window. “Thank the gods,” he breathed. “I was beginning to think we’d never find this place. We’ve only been here for, like, 40 minutes, and I’ve gotten lost, and driven by Fenway Park. I hate this place already.” 

Annabeth laughed. 

They parked the car, and got their suitcases out of the trunk. Percy locked it, and they followed the signs to the elevator to the main floor. They ended up in a well appointed lobby, with a security desk manned by two uniformed security guards. Annabeth left Percy with the luggage by the elevator, and went to the desk. The guards didn’t look up as she approached the desk, so she cleared her throat. “Excuse me?”

They looked up. “Can I help you?” one of them asked.

“I’m Annabeth Chase,” she produced her NY Drivers License. “I’m a guest of Rachel Elizabeth Dare.” She wasn’t sure what else to say, but it produced a reaction at any rate. They at least looked respectful, as opposed to bored. One of them typed something into his computer. Then he looked up. 

“Good evening, Ms. Chase,” he said. “I’m afraid that the Penthouse apartment is occupied tonight, but we have several Executive apartments, will that be acceptable?” he said.

“Certainly,” Annabeth replied. Had he been expecting her to object? She would have settled for a room with a double bed and bathroom.

“Sully will show you up,” he said, gesturing at his partner. “How long will you be in Boston?” 

“Just tonight and tomorrow,” she said.  _ Sully? What kind of name _ ...she supposed she shouldn’t judge. There were plenty of demigods with odd names. 

“Very good,” he said, making a notation in his computer. “Enjoy your stay,” he said.

“Thank you,” she replied.

Sully came around the desk, carrying a key ring. “Good evening, Ms. Chase,” he said. “Right this way.”

The collected Percy and the luggage at the elevator. “You’ll need this key for the elevator,” he said, as they entered. He showed her how to put the key in the slot, and turned it. “You can’t get above the 15th floor without it. Your suite is on the 16th floor.” Annabeth noted that the elevator went as high as 18. The elevator rose smoothly, and quickly. “What brings you to Boston?” he asked conversationally.

“Visiting family,” Annabeth replied. The bell dinged, and they let out into a short hallway. Annabeth noted that there seemed to be only four doors in the hall. “Are all the floors like this?” she asked.

“No,” he said. “Just the top few floors held by Mr. Dare,” he said. “It’s a condominium apartment building below the 15th floor, eight units to a floor. Sixteen, seventeen and eighteen are reserved for Mr. Dare. Eighteen is the Penthouse. Seventeen is the same as this floor.” He took the key and opened the door marked “A”. 

“Are any of the other units occupied at present?” Percy asked.

“Not on this floor.” Sully handed Annabeth the key. “The green phone by the door will connect you with the security desk,” he told them. “The black phones are the outside line. If you order food, let us know, so we can let the delivery person through.” 

“Thank you,” she said. “We appreciate it.”

Sully nodded. “Enjoy your stay.” 

Sully left and the door swung shut behind him. Annabeth looked around, as they went further into the apartment. “Holy Hephestus,” Percy spoke reverently. “My parent’s apartment would fit in this living room. 

The floor to ceiling windows in the living room looked out over some kind of greenspace, Boston Common, probably. There were three bedrooms and a large kitchen with expensive looking appliances. The bathroom was spacious. A cursory inspection showed there was no food, but there was a minibar in one corner of the living room, and the fridge in the kitchen held bottles of water. The living room TV was enormous, and each of the bedrooms had an only slightly smaller version of it. 

“Wow,” Annabeth breathed, as they finished their inspection of the apartment. 

“You can say that again.” Percy pointed to one of the bedrooms. “This one looks like the biggest one.” He flicked on the light. “I’ll put the suitcases in here.”

“Yeah, good plan,” Annabeth said. 

“Hey, there’s a second bathroom in here,” Percy called, as he explored the room, opening the doors to walk in closets. There was a sliding door with a balcony as well. 

“Makes sense, if this is the master bedroom.” Annabeth entered and took a peek in. It wasn’t large, but it had a shower. He came up behind her and put his arms around her waist. 

“This is pretty incredible,” he said, and then planted a kiss at the base of her neck. “Rachel’s dad’s good for something, I guess.”

“I guess so,” Annabeth said, a little breathless at the feel of his lips on her collarbone. 

“Where are we meeting Magnus in the morning?” he asked.

“The place he lives, Hotel Valhalla. He’ll be waiting outside.” 

“What time?”

“About 9 am,” she told him, “According to the message the raven brought.”

“Weird having birds deliver the mail.” He glanced at his watch. “That’s...early, at least from the point of view of now.” 

She turned in his arms. “So what you’re saying is...we should go to bed.” She bit her lip and looked up at him through lowered eyelashes. 

“I thought you’d never ask,” Percy said with a grin before he kissed her. 

_ I really could get used to this _ , she thought later, as they drifted off to sleep together, curled tightly together. Although, she reflected, a king sized bed would really be a waste of space, if they always ended up like this anyway.

They were forced to venture out earlier than Percy had perhaps wanted the following morning, by the simple fact that there was no food in the apartment. Fortunately, Boston seemed to have plenty of breakfast options, and they quickly found that they could hardly turn a block without seeing a Dunkin’ Donuts. They passed their third one before giving up the search for a Starbucks and just getting food there. The coffee was not as good, in Annabeth’s opinion, but Percy didn’t seem to think the donuts were that bad. She had a breakfast wrap, which was acceptable. She missed her scones. 

They strolled through Boston Common on their way to see Magnus. It was mostly empty at this early hour as they strolled hand-in-hand toward Beacon Street. “Nice morning,” Percy said. “Going to be warm later,” he observed. He inhaled deeply. “Breeze off the ocean this morning. Probably about 5 to 10 knots.” Annabeth squeezed his hand. His talents always became stronger the closer they were to salt water, and despite New York’s position as a harbor, the Hudson and East River’s large volume of freshwater dulled them slightly. The Charles was clearly not interfering as much. 

“Show off,” she said with a chuckle.

They met up with Magnus, and his friend Alex at the Hotel. The fact that Alex was a shapeshifter didn’t bother them, but Annabeth could tell that Percy was a little weirded out by the fact that Alex could switch between genders, though he tried very hard not to show it. That was quickly forgotten, though as they began working with Magnus.

It was a long day, but it must have been even longer for Magnus, who had to have Alex rush him back to Hotel Valhalla several times with grievous injuries, so he would die on the Hotel grounds. When dinner time rolled around, they called a halt, and promised to meet again in the morning, in Charleston this time, where Percy promised to explain sailing, using the  _ USS Constitution _ as reference. Percy had been so excited to learn of the ship’s presence. Annabeth had had to convince him that, no, they could not take it for a spin, and yes, people would notice. 

“What are we going to do with the rest of our day?” Percy asked, as they walked back to their apartment.

“Well, for starters, you need a shower," she told him. "Then we'll talk."

"Are you going to join me?," he put his arm around her and squeezed her butt.

“No,” she told him. “Stop that. It’s too small for any of that,” she pointed out. 

"When we get a place in California, it needs to have a bigger shower," Percy declared after he had showered. "Or better yet, a tub. Romans are big on baths, right?"

Annabeth laughed while she watched him dress. "Only if we can afford it."

By this time, they were both hungry, so they went to the Copley Place, which was right around the corner, to find food. 

"I want to do a little shopping," Annabeth told him, stealing some of Percy's French fries. She had seen the ads on their walk through the mall, and had been thinking about it all through dinner.

"Okay, where?" Percy asked.

"It's a surprise," she said. "Do you want to meet back here in 90 minutes or so?"

Percy looked up from his food. "Oh, you mean alone.” He looked around the mall. "I mean, yeah, I guess. What am I going to do?"

"There was that arcade we passed," she pointed out.

"Oh, yeah, that’ll work.” He glanced around again. "Just...be careful."

"I don't think there are any monsters in Copley Place, but I will. I've got my knife."

Percy nodded, satisfied.

A bit later, Annabeth found herself in front of a store that she'd never been into before. 

Victoria's Secret.

She'd seen their ads in the mall.  _ Memorial Day Sale. Half-off Swimwear! _

She'd been thinking about getting a new swimsuit for the party on Monday, but there hadn't been a chance to go shopping. Now it seemed she had one.

Her current suits had been chosen primarily for their practicality, which had its benefits. But she'd never really thought about getting one specifically that would flatter her body in a way that Percy would appreciate. Granted, he appreciated her in anything she wore, it seemed. She could probably dress in a burlap sack and he’d still call her beautiful, but on principle, he probably liked it when she dressed up. 

She'd found a new confidence in her body since going to their proms. The scars she'd always worked to hide didn't seem like that big a deal anymore. Her friends honored them, in their own sideways and incomplete way. Percy’s friends did too. That had helped a lot. It was also the growing realization that the only people who mattered were herself, and Percy. And so, feeling brave, and a little empowered, she boldly chose several string bikinis to try on. Unsurprisingly, it was the blue one she liked the best. It was blue with white polka dots, a kinda retro pattern, but it was more revealing than anything she had ever worn before. She gazed at herself in the mirror, not sure she recognized the woman staring back. It wasn't that the suit was wrong for her, on the contrary, it fit quite well. She knew, intellectually that she was attractive...she was young, and reasonably athletic. Did she have scars? Yes. But they were hers, and she owned them. She felt strong, and beautiful, like she was looking at herself with Percy's eyes, the way his eyes would see her. 

She nodded at herself, and changed back, putting the suit in the shopping bag, while the others went back on the rack. She had some more time before she had to meet Percy again, so she browsed the store. She had always been somewhat uncomfortably aware that her collection of undergarments, at least in comparison to the girls she shared the dorm laundry room with, were depressingly plain and practical. Which was only natural, she supposed, since they, like most of her wardrobe, had been purchased off Target or Walmart racks. Maybe Kohls. She’d never been once for fancy clothes, especially underwear. She'd never quite understood why, for example, her roommate would decide to wear a matching black lace bra and panty set on a random Tuesday. Annabeth had always thought it a little silly. After all, the point of underwear was that it wasn't supposed to be seen. 

Becoming lovers with Percy had altered that perspective some. For now, there was at least some chance that someone, (other than her roommate,) would see her in her underwear. 

She picked out a few new panties, in a variety of colors and styles. Though she drew the line at thongs. She didn't understand how  _ anyone _ could wear those. 

She took a look at bras.  _ Gods, why are they so expensive?  _ she thought. She ended up getting three new ones. She was on her way to the register, when she saw a blue satin chemise, with silver lace flowers scrolled down one side, and a matching blue satin robe. Annabeth thought about the look on Percy’s face. Despite the price, she added it to the bag. 

Percy wasn’t at the food court when she got back there, so she went and found him in the arcade. “Hey,” she said, putting her arms around his neck. He looked up startled from his pinball game. 

“Hey, Wise Girl.” He turned into her. “Sorry, I lost track of time. Where did you go…” he glanced at the bag she carried. He squinted at it for a moment. “I’m sorry, my dyslexia must be acting up. Does that bag say Victoria’s Secret?” 

“Mmmmhmmm,” she hummed, batting her eyelashes at him.

“Oh.” Percy paused, and she could swear she saw his brain clicking into gear. “Can I see?” he asked. 

She pulled the bag away from him. “Uh uh uhh,” she scolded. “Not yet. I did get some things for you. For one thing, I got you a thank you present for doing this for me this weekend,” she told him. “But not till we get back to the apartment.”

“Well, then, let’s go,” he said eagerly.

“Not so fast.” She put the bag behind her back. “What if I want to play?” she said, teasing. She craned her head around him to scan the machines. 

“Annabeth,” he whined. Gods, he actually whined. Annabeth felt a thrill run through her that she’d reduced him to whining. 

She grinned. “Fine. But no peeking until I’m ready.”

They got back to the apartment, and Annabeth waved Percy to the living room. “Find something to watch on TV,” she ordered, then went into the bedroom. She first stripped down and took a quick hop through the shower. She ran her razor over her legs. One advantage to blonde hair was that it was mostly less noticeable if she skipped shaving for a couple of days, but only when she wasn’t developing a tan. The weather had been nice enough for shorts for the last couple weeks, so shaving was becoming more of a necessity. When she finished, she toweled off and took out the chemise and the robe. She carefully popped the tags off, and slipped it on. The chemise hung down about mid thigh. She put on the robe, took a breath and opened the door to the living room. “Hey Seaweed Brain,” she called. He turned, and his eyes widened. She leaned on the doorframe, letting the robe fall open. “Do you like it?”

He didn’t say anything, just turned off the tv and crossed toward her. “Thanks for coming up this weekend,” she purred. “I really appreciate you helping Magnus.” 

“It’s no problem.” He stood about three feet away, eyes drinking her in like a cold glass of water. 

She shrugged off the robe, and in doing so, one of the straps fell loose off her shoulder, letting the gown droop. “Oops.”

She had not been expecting the tackle that drove her backwards into the bedroom and onto the bed. She gave a shriek, that became a gasp, and then a moan. 

Later, she tried to untangle herself from the gown, as Percy lay next to her, panting and smiling. “We seem to be getting better at this,” he managed.

“I cannot argue with that,” she told him. She kissed him on the nose, and then settled her head on his chest. 

“So what else is in the bag?” he asked.

“You’ll just have to wait and find out,” she told him.

“I hate waiting.” His hand came up to stroke her bare shoulder. 

“I know,” she told him. “It’s why you want to get married this summer.”

“Can you blame me?” he asked. “Imagine this being our every night, instead of, like, when we get an excuse to travel.”

“We don’t have to get married for this.” She turned her head up to look at him. From his angle, though, she mostly just saw up his nose, and she tried not to laugh. “We could just live together.”

“I want to make an honest woman out of you,” he blurted out. 

She sat up, and looked at him askance. “You did not just use the phrase ‘make an honest woman out of you’.” 

Percy blushed, and stammered. “Well, no. I mean, yes, that’s what I said, but no, that’s not what I...I mean, what I meant was…” he swore creatively in Greek. “Annabeth I’m no good with words. But I want more than just ‘living together’. I want that  _ something permanent _ we talked about. I want it to be official, and legal, and I want the world to know we’re us.”

Annabeth sighed, and smiled and put her head back down on Percy’s chest. He was so infuriatingly earnest and noble and so many things that she could barely name. “Percy, I love you, but we don’t need to be married for the world to know that. Gods know most of the world we know has known it before we did.” 

“Fair,” Percy allowed.

“And…” she had a sudden flash of insight. “This is about your mom and dad, isn’t it?”

“What? No,” Percy said in a tone of voice that said.  _ What? Of course it is, it’s taken you this long to figure that out? Wait, I think you figured that out before me. _

“You want to get married because you crave the stability of a committed relationship, the kind that you didn’t have growing up,” she told him.

“Annabeth, I can barely remember at time before Gabe came along, so I don’t think that…” he didn’t sound persuaded.

“But if your mom and dad had been married…”

“Leaving aside the fact that he was already married,” Percy muttered.

And it hit her like a ton of bricks. The light that dawn should have blinded her. “This isn’t about your  _ Mom _ ,” she said. “It’s about your  _ Dad. _ You want to prove you can be better than him.”

Percy scoffed. “Wise Girl, my dad’s a god, I don’t think…” 

She sat up, and turned, boring into his eyes. “A god, sure, but an unfaithful husband. Something you are determined never to be.”

Percy’s jaw set into that mulish, stubborn pose that she found so endearing. “I will  _ never _ break faith with you,” he ground out.

She reached up and cupped his cheek, then smoothed the hair back from his forehead. “Oh, my Percy,” she said. “I know.” She squeezed her arm around his waist. “I know.” 

They didn’t speak again, and when Annabeth looked up into his face a few minutes later, his eyes were closed, and his face had relaxed. She smiled, and gently kissed his face, then she too, went to sleep.

They hated to turn in their key and leave Boston the next day, but the traffic wasn’t bad and they made good time back to New York. Percy was back in plenty of time to watch Estelle, and though he invited her to stay the night at his apartment with him, Annabeth wanted to get back to the dorm. She had things to get ready for Monday’s pool party. Kirsten was in the room when she walked in.

“How was Boston?” she asked.

“Good,” Annabeth told her. “I think my cousin is going to be ok,” she said. She’d told Kirsten she was going up to check on Magnus because their uncle had died, and Magnus had been closer to him than she was. 

Kirsten spied the bag from Victoria’s Secret. “What’s this?” 

"I did a little shopping in Boston. I thought my wardrobe could use a bit of an update in some areas."

"About time, girl. Your underwear drawer is the only one I know that makes my mom's look provocative by comparison. Whajya get?" Kirsten sat back from her desk and turned, given Annabeth her full attention. 

Annabeth showed her the panties and bras. "And a new swimsuit, for the pool party we're going to tomorrow." She held up the bikini top across her chest. "What do you think?"

"I think Percy will have to stay in the pool from the waist down if he sees you in that," Kirsten laughed 

"Oh, and a nightgown and a matching robe. But they're in my suitcase, since I wore it last night." Annabeth rummaged and pulled out the chemise. She held it up for inspection.

"Exactly how long did you wear that last night?" Kirsten asked archly.

Annabeth blushed and giggled. "Um. I never got around to taking it off."

"Daaaamn, girl." Kirsten high fived her.

"I need to do some laundry, do you have anything for me to take down for you?" Annabeth asked.

"Nah, I did all mine yesterday," she said. "I'm good, thanks for asking though. Oh, wait," she said. She rummaged under her bed. "If you're going to have nice things, you should take care of them better. Make sure you use a lingerie bag to wash those bras. You can use mine until you get one of your own." She tossed the bag to Annabeth. "You'll want them to last longer at those prices."

"That's for sure," Annabeth agreed. "Thanks."

"No problem." She sighed. "My little chick, all grown up and getting her adult feathers for the first time." She pretended to wipe a year away. 

Annabeth rolled her eyes. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Questions? Loved it? Hated it? Email: The Author@no2ticonderoga.com
> 
> Follow me on Twitter: @no_2Ticonderoga


	37. 37: Percy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here we go, another chapter! I'm trying to get caught up.
> 
> Still a ways to go, though. I'm rereading them all aloud to myself in lieu of a final beta. As I tell the people who sit in front of me every day, it's the best way to catch your own mistakes...

Percy was still awake when Mom and Paul got home from the party, but only just. There was a Bond movie on tv, and he’d made a valiant effort to watch it, but he kept drooping, and he’d hopelessly lost the plot. Not that there was much of one to start with, he reflected. 

“Hey,” he yawned. “Did you have a good time?” he asked.

“We did,” Mom said. 

“Awesome.” Percy yawned again.

“We didn’t get a chance to talk much before we left, so I didn’t get a chance to hear how it went in Boston,” Mom said. “Do you want to tell me how it went? How’s Annabeth’s cousin?” Mom sat down on the couch next to him and turned off the Bond movie. Percy supposed he’d never find out if James Bond could manage to escape certain death at the hands of the evil villain’s overcomplicated trap.

“It was good.” And he told her about Magnus, and his quest, and the training they’d done. 

“And how was the trip with Annabeth?” she asked. 

“It was great,” Percy said. “It kinda felt like, well, I told Annabeth it was a marriage trial run.”

“And what did she say to that?”

“She laughed,” Percy laughed too.. Then hesitated. “Mom, can I ask you something?”

“Of course, dear.” 

“Annabeth and I...well..” he took a breath. “I’ve been hoping to convince Annabeth to get married before we leave for California in the fall.” He waited for a reaction from his mother. The lack of one spoke volumes. “Does that seem weird to you?”

“It seems very you,” she said. 

Percy wasn’t quite sure how to take that, so he continued. “Annabeth doesn’t seem quite sure. Do you think it's that she doesn’t want to get married?” he asked.

His mother laughed so hard he thought she might fall off the edge of the couch.

“Oh, my dear Percy,” she finally said. “Just because Annabeth isn’t sold on eloping right after you both turn 18 doesn’t mean she doesn’t want to get married.”

Percy was a little indignant. “Well,” he huffed, not sure what else to say.

His mom’s expression sobered. “Oh, Percy, you’re not really worried about this, are you?” she asked, touching his face. “Of course she wants to marry you. But maybe she feels like getting married this summer would be rushing things.”

“How?” Percy asked. As far as Percy was concerned, why wait? If it was going to happen anyway, what was the point of waiting? 

“Oh, Percy,” she sighed. “My impulsive and impatient boy. You were never good at waiting for anything.” She stroked his cheek. “Talk to her.” She held a hand up. “I don’t mean try and hustle her more. I mean, talk to her. And listen, too. You’ll be doing a lot of that if you expect to get married.”

“It’s almost like…”

“Like what?”

“Like she’s scared,” Percy finally said, finally voicing his greatest fear.

“Did it ever occur to you that she is?” Mom asked. “That maybe, just maybe, she might be a little frightened by it all?” His mom paused. “Her experience with marriage is not much better than yours is, don’t forget, Paul notwithstanding.” 

“Oh.” He had not considered this. Her relationship with her step-mom was better than it was, but they still weren’t close. Percy knew that she still carried some resentment toward her, for everything that had happened as a child. But it had not occurred to him to consider how this might color her perception of marriage. 

“Let’s face it, most demigods don’t seem to have much experience with _good_ marriages,” she pointed out. “That could be part of it.” 

As usual, Percy supposed his mom was probably right about that. 

“And I do think that it’s part of why you want to get married so badly,” his Mom continued. “Because you want so desperately to get it right. And make it permanent.” She sighed. “I sometimes worry you’ll put too much pressure on your relationship trying to make it perfect that it will crack under the strain.” 

_This_ was a thought that he _definitely_ hadn’t considered. “Oh,” he said in a small voice. 

Mom took his hand and squeezed it. “I’m not saying these things to scare you, or to hurt you. I’m saying them to make you think. And maybe see it from Annabeth’s point of view.” She patted him on the knee. “You should go to bed. You look exhausted and you have a party to go to tomorrow.” 

Percy nodded. “Yeah.” 

“I love you, Percy. And I love Annabeth. There’s nothing that makes me happier than seeing the two of you happy. And whether you decide to get married this summer, or next, or three years from now, I’ll be happy. As long as it’s a decision you make together.” She patted his knee again and stood up. 

Percy followed her down the hall to his bedroom, where he collapsed onto his bed. He rolled over and stared up at the ceiling. He thought about all the demigods he knew. More than half of the ones he could think of off the top of his head didn’t even have a good relationship with the mortal parent, let alone have positive relationships with any kind of step-parent. _Was_ it the reason it seemed like Annabeth was hesitating? Maybe. Only one way to find out, he supposed. He yawned again. His thoughts seemed to wander off like leaves scattering in the wind. The last thing he remembered thinking about before sleep claimed him was the way Annabeth had looked the previous night in that blue nightgown.

The next morning, Percy slept in, but was still up in plenty of time to pick Annabeth up. Emma had said they could start showing up anytime after lunch, so Percy and Annabeth had decided to meet up just after lunchtime. He put on his favorite swimsuit, the one with pockets that he could keep Riptide in, and a GHS t-shirt. He was wearing his camp necklace today, and he packed a bag with sunscreen and a towel, and headed out

Percy had borrowed the car again. They could have made arrangements to take the train out to Westchester and have someone pick them up at the commuter station, but without a reliable cell phone, this was easier. He pulled up in front of Annabeth's dorm about 12:30. 

Annabeth was waiting outside and hopped in as soon as he pulled up. His mouth went a bit dry as he took her in. She was wearing a pair of short cut off jean shorts, and sandals. She had one of her button up shirts on top, but it was hanging open, showing that she wore a blue and white polka dotted bikini top underneath. She had on her camp necklace with the coral he had given her. She was wearing the overlarge sunglasses that Rachel had given her and a floppy sun hat. She kicked off her sandals and planted her bare feet up on the dashboard, wiggling her freshly painted toes and the gold anklet Percy had given her at some point as a gift. "Do I look okay?"

"You look like a million drachmas," he said. "Have you got everything?" 

"Let's see…" she pulled around the big tote bag she had slung under her arm. "Towel. Dry clothes. Sunscreen that you can rub _alllll_ over me." She grinned at him. "Bug spray. And something for emergencies." She pulled something part way out of the bag and Percy caught the glint of Celestial Bronze. "Nowhere to strap it on in this outfit." 

"I should think not," he said. "Let's hope we don't need it." 

Annabeth turned down the radio as he headed uptown toward the Sawmill Parkway. "So," she said, after a moment. "I am not saying that I'm saying no, but I have found a flaw in your ‘get married this summer’ plan."

"Oh?" He was cautiously pleased she wasn't shooting the idea down entirely. 

"So, who are you planning to invite?" she asked.

"Family, friends," he said, vaguely. He wasn’t sure where she was going with this. 

"So, you plan to invite Josh to Camp? And Darah?"

Percy's brain hiccupped to a stop. "Um…"

"And I mean, I'd like to invite Kirsten. Do you think she and Juniper would get along if they were bridesmaids?"

"Oh." The image of Juniper crying green tears next to a baffled Kirsten nearly short circuited his brain. And not in the good way. 

"I think your idea to get married at Camp might have to be shelved," she said. "And I'm sorry about that, because I think it would be romantic, too. But, Percy, we have mortal friends besides our family. Wouldn't you want them to be part of our day as well?"

Percy thought this over. "Well, yeah, but…" he let his brain chew on it. "By that logic, how are any of our mortal friends going to be able to come? Anywhere?” This was a depressing thought. She was right though. Were they foolish to try and live in both worlds? At least right now? Could they ever find a way to co-exist? 

"The Mist would smooth most of it over outside of Camp," Annabeth explained. “Since Mortals aren’t supposed to be in camp anyway, the Mist doesn’t really apply. If we did it somewhere else, the Mist would manipulate what people saw, make it easier for them.”

"Do you have an alternative suggestion?" he asked. 

"I have nothing against the beach," she said slowly. "We just might need to find a different beach.” 

Percy nodded. “So, you’re saying, you’re not objecting to the idea, in principle.” But he could tell there was hesitation there. He wondered if his mom was right. 

“I’m saying I’m still thinking,” she clarified. “And I’ll continue thinking about it on one condition.”

“That is?” he asked. 

“You talk about it with Doc Berger,” she said. “Because I think you’ve got some unresolved Dad issues going on.” 

Percy nodded slowly. It was a fair point. 

"And please, don't misunderstand me. I love you. And I want to marry you. Hades, I may even marry you this summer. But I think you should talk this through," she pleaded.

Percy thought about it. Thought about what his Mom had said the night before. Talking was good, and Doc was a good conversation facilitator. "What about a joint session?" he asked. "And we can talk about why you're scared."

Annabeth was silent for a long moment. Percy was afraid he’d gone too far. "Okay,” she finally said.

Percy let out a breath that he didn't know he'd been holding. "Okay. It's a deal." 

Annabeth smiled at him, and turned up the radio as they headed out of town. It was hard to believe that Westchester County was only a 40 minute drive from Manhattan. It was like another world. Lots of trees, and houses on big lots. Lots of money out here. Like last time, Annabeth navigated for him. They finally arrived, pulling down a long driveway toward a large house. It was tucked back in the forest, near something the map had called the “Hardscrabble Wilderness Area”. 

“Oooo, it’s a Tudor!” Annabeth exclaimed, looking at the house.

“Who is?” Percy asked. He didn’t see anyone out front, let alone a tutor. 

“The house, it’s a Tudor,” she said again, like it was obvious.

“Is it going to help me with finals?” He was confused. 

She rolled her eyes at him. “No, Seaweed Brain, it’s a style of architecture. It’s based on English cottages during the Tudor Dynasty, back in the 1500s.”

He grinned. “Sure, I knew that,” he said as he parked the car. He recognized one of the cars in the drive as Josh’s family car. There were a couple other cars he didn’t know. They got out of the car, and Percy waited while Annabeth climbed out. The back of his neck began to tingle a little, and he looked around, frowning.

“What’s wrong?” Annabeth asked. 

Percy stared toward the woods, then shook his head. “Nothing,” he said, trying to shake off the funny feeling. “C’mon, let’s go.”

They walked up to the front door and rang the bell. They could hear music pumping from somewhere behind the house, and the sounds of splashing and laughter. The door opened, and Percy recognized Emma’s mother. She had come to all of Emma’s swim meets. 

"Hi Mrs. Scott!" * Percy liked Emma's mom. She'd always been very down-to-earth and supportive. He'd never seen much of her dad, but Emma had indicated they got on well, despite his frequent travel for business. 

"Percy!" She smiled at him. "Good to see you, glad you could come."

"This is Annabeth," he introduced her. "Annabeth, this is Emma's mom, Mrs. Scott."

"Your house is beautiful," Annabeth gushed. "I love the Tudor styling."

Mrs. Scott laughed. "Thank you, dear. Come on in, everyone is out back."

Percy and Annabeth followed Mrs. Scott through the house, while Annabeth raved about the house's interior.

"She's studying architecture," Percy explained when Annabeth paused for breath. Mrs. Scott laughed.

"That's lovely," she said. "You really have a passion, I can tell." She gestued around the open kitchen. "There's all kinds of food left over from yesterday, you kids can help yourselves. There's a cooler on the patio with sodas and water and the bar by the pool has some virgin cocktail mixers if you're interested." Mrs. Scott led them through a sliding door out onto a bricked patio. On the right as they exited, the lawn sloped up toward a fenced in tennis court, before giving way to forest scrub, but on the left, the patio terraced down to an enormous inground swimming pool, which featured a fake rock waterfall at one end, and a separate built in hot tub at the other. There was a patio table with an umbrella and chairs, as well as lounge chairs, and a bar under a canopy. Beyond the pool, the forest closed in again. The music was blaring from speakers, and everyone was around the pool.

"Heeeeeyyy!" Yose was the first to spy them. "Yo, Emma! Music!"

Emma, seeing what Yose was drawing attention to, grabbed her phone, which was apparently the source of the music. It changed abruptly to Beyoncé, and 'Single Ladies' started blaring through the speakers. Percy inwardly rolled his eyes. Annabeth laughed. They set their bags down on an empty chaise lounge. All the girls came over to Annabeth, wanting to see her ring. In addition to Emma, Darah, Yose and Gianna, there were two other girls that Percy knew were Emma's friends from Key Club, seniors named Mackenzie and Charlotte. Mackenzie was a tiny waif of a girl, with dirty blonde hair and freckles, though up until this moment, Percy had not realized they were pretty much all over her body, or at least as much of it as was not covered by her abbreviated bathing suit. Charlotte had rich, chocolate colored skin and curly ringlets that reminded Percy of Hazel's hair, but darker. The girls pulled Annabeth toward the hot tub, where they seemed to have set up shop. 

"Hey, man," Josh called, giving Percy a high five. "Glad you guys made it." 

“Me, too,” Percy replied. He looked around. Josh and Kamal were here, but San was absent. In his place were Zion and Nick, two more Key Club cronies of Emma’s, both seniors. “Hey guys.” 

“Hey.” Nick greeted him with a wave. Nick was New York Italian through and through, and wore a religious medal nestled in his abundant chest hair. “So that’s the fiancée I’ve heard about. Congratulations, man.”

“Thanks!” Percy grinned.

“Yeah, congrats,” Zion added. Percy wasn’t sure what Zion’s ethnic heritage was -he didn’t know him well enough to ask- but he was clearly a blend of some variety. He very obviously had Asian and African-American influences, based on his facial structure and his skin tone. He hesitated a moment. “It’s just a rumor, that part about her being pregnant, right?” 

Well, whatever he was, he didn’t pull his punches. Percy actually appreciated that more than the beating around the bush he’d gotten from a lot of people. “Yes,” Percy answered. “That’s just a rumor. She’s not pregnant.”

“Cool.” Zion nodded. “I didn’t think it could be true, but I figured I’d ask,” he said. “Still think you’re nuts, though.”

“Hey,” Josh protested.

“Naw, it’s cool,” Percy waved it off. “Most people do, they just don’t say it out loud. I appreciate the honesty.”

Zion shrugged. “I don’t like doubletalk.” He shrugged. “I think if you really think you know something like that at this age, you must be crazy. I change my mind on everything from my favorite flavor of ice cream to what I want to study in college. I can’t imagine being certain enough to commit to something for life. Maybe by 25, I’ll know myself better.” He shook his head. “But hey, it’s your life, and hers, apparently. So I guess you’re both crazy. You, for asking, her, for agreeing.”

“I mean, it is a little strange,” Nick agreed. 

“I look at it this way,” Percy told them. “It means that we’ll only be about 70 when we hit our 50th wedding anniversary. And that means more time together.”

“Jesus Christ,” Zion breathed. “I can’t even figure out what I’m doing tomorrow.” He shook his head. “That’s too deep for me.”

Percy chuckled. “It’s all a matter of perspective.” And then he peeled off his shirt, and tossed it with his bag. “How’s the pool?” he asked.

“About 82 degrees,” Josh told him. “Emma’s folks have a heater for it.”

“Niiiice,” Percy said. “Beats some of those pools we raced in, eh?” Not all the pools at the schools they visited had had warm water.

“No kidding,” Kamal concurred. 

“How deep is it?” Percy asked.

“Twelve feet by the diving board, about four up at the shallow end by the hot tub,” Josh said. 

Percy noted the diving board at the far end, just on the other side of the fake waterfall. “So can you jump from the waterfall?” 

“Oh yeah,” Zion said with relish. “You get some good air from up there.”

“Excellent! Sounds like my first stop.” Percy kicked off his sandals, and walked around the pool, past the diving board. He clambered up the fake rocks, and stood at the top of the falls. That funny feeling came back to him, and he turned to look at the forest behind him. There was a four foot chain link fence that separated the yard from the forest, thought it hardly seemed necessary out here. Probably required by law because of the pool, Percy figured. Something moved in the woods, but it was too dark beyond the bush line to see much. Probably just an animal, Percy figured. He turned back toward the pool, got a quick running start and launched himself into the air, flipping forward into a somersault as he headed for the water. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Like it? Hate it? Questions or comments? Email: TheAuthor@no2ticonderoga.com
> 
> Follow me on Twitter @no_2ticonderoga.com


	38. 38: Annabeth

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I don't know who will be reading fic today, since you're all probably reading TON. Except me. Who is extremely angry at Amazon. Because despite ordering it in February, got told today that my shipment is delayed at it won't be here till Thursday at the earliest. 🤬🤬🤬🤬 (And yes, I have a Kindle, but I prefer the old fashioned kind.)
> 
> Anyway, enjoy!

Annabeth had to laugh when they started playing ‘Single Ladies’. They all practically danced over to her, wanting to see her ring. 

“Oh my God,” Darah gasped on seeing it. “It’s beautiful!”

Yose agreed. “That’s a fucking diamond all right.”

“Where did he get it?” Emma asked. “It must have cost a fortune.”

She and Percy had concocted a cover story for this that, like all their slights of hands, had some element of truth in them. “It’s a family heirloom, from his dad’s family,” she told them. 

“Like, his real dad?” Gianna asked. “The beach bum?” 

“Yeah,” Annabeth winced at this description of the Lord of the Ocean. “He was too sentimental to sell it, I guess. He passed it on to Percy when he turned 16.”

“Huh,” Gianna said. And the subject of where on Earth Percy had purchased a diamond so large was effectively smoothed over. 

Emma spoke next. “Annabeth, this is Mackenzie, and Charlotte,” she indicated the two girls. “They’re friends of mine from school. Guys, this is Percy’s fiancée, Annabeth.”

“Nice to meet you both,” Annabeth replied. Mackenzie was tiny, with fair skin and freckles, and shoulder length hair that was not quite brown, but not quite blonde. She was wearing a tie dyed bikini. Charlotte was dark skinned and had curly hair, and was wearing a bright purple tankini. 

“I saw you at prom,” Mackenzie told her. “Your dress was gorgeous.”

“Thank you,” Annabeth said. 

“I can’t believe you and Percy are engaged,” Charlotte put in. “Like, I didn’t even know Percy had a girlfriend until prom. I don’t know Percy that well, we never really had classes together. But I knew him through Emma, and I knew he was on Captain’s Council this year.” 

“You should hear some of her stories,” Gianna interjected. “She makes Percy sound like a saint.”

“He is a saint,” Darah corrected. “If even half of what she’s said is true.” 

Annabeth laughed. There was an enormous splash behind her, and they all turned to see Percy surfacing in the deep end of the pool with a “woooooo!” as he shook the water from his hair. “Hey, fiancé!” she called.

“Yeah?” he turned toward her. 

“You want to come put sunscreen on me, or what?” she said.

“Be right there,” he said, and dove under the water, swimming toward the shallow end of the pool. Annabeth took off her shirt and pulled off her cutoffs, tossing them with her towel onto the lounge chair. 

“Chica, that’s an awesome swimsuit,” Yose complimented her. “You look hot, girl.” 

“Thanks, it’s new. I got it this weekend.” Percy’s swim team friends didn’t seem fazed by her several scars, but Charlotte and Mackenzie stared at her for a moment before turning away. They would either ask, or they would pretend not to notice. Either way, Annabeth was okay with it. She felt more comfortable in her own skin than she had in a long time. 

Percy climbed out of the pool, walked over to her. She sat down on the edge of the lounge chair. He dripped water on her. “Hey!” she protested. “You can’t put sunscreen on me if I’m wet!” 

“Sorry,” he said, clearly not sorry at all. He grabbed a towel and dried his hands. “Thanks for having us, Emma.”

“No problem!” She grinned. “Glad you could come.” Emma had on a bright red one-piece, and looked like she’d just stepped off the set of Baywatch. “There’s all kinds of food. There’s a whole tray of leftover crabcakes in the fridge, help yourself,” she said, pointing to the bar. “The minifridge is just behind the bar.”

Percy’s smile became briefly fixed. Annabeth cringed inwardly. Percy’s ability to actually  _ talk _ to sea creatures had left him permanently unable to stomach the thought of eating seafood. But he recovered nicely. “Awesome,” he said. “Thanks.” Annabeth was certain there was other food around that he could eat. 

Percy grabbed the sunscreen from her bag, and began to squirt some on his hands. “Start with your legs?” he asked, but didn’t wait for an answer as he began to massage the cream into her legs. 

“Man, I wish I had that kind of service,” Mackenzie commented enviously. “My ex-boyfriend never did that for me.”

“Clearly, he wasn’t worth it if he didn’t want to get his hands all over you,” Percy fired off. Mackenzie’s eyes widened with shock, but his swim team friends laughed uproariously. 

“Well, you’re not wrong,” Mackenzie said, finally, laughing. “Man, Percy, I would not have expected that out of you.”

“You don’t know him like we do,” Gianna laughed. “We know where is mind is.” She waggled her eyebrows. 

“You have to watch the quiet ones,” Darah added. “They always surprise you.” She glanced across the pool at Josh. 

Annabeth arched an eyebrow at Percy as he rubbed sunscreen on her upper thighs. “Down boy,” she whispered at him. He grinned at her, but shifted to her back, leaving her to finish her legs. 

“So where do you go to school?” Charlotte asked her. 

“The Forester School,” Annabeth answered. 

“Oh, I’ve heard of that one,” Mackenzie said. “All girls, right? That must be weird.”

“It’s not that bad,” Annabeth shrugged. “Simplifies dorm life.”

“I’ll bet,” Mackenzie commented. “No boys allowed in the dorms, I take it?” 

Annabeth shook her head. “Nope. And they’re super strict about it. There’s a 24 hour security desk at the main entrance, and all the emergency exits are alarmed, so you can’t prop one open to let someone in a back door.” 

“Ouch,” Gianna winced. “So, Percy’s never seen your dorm room?” She and Yose had settled back into the hot tub. 

“Nope,” Annabeth shook her head. “Which is why we hang out so much at his place. When he comes to visit me, we usually end up at the Starbucks around the corner from the dorm.” 

“There you go,” Percy interrupted. He kissed the top of her head. “You’re all set.” He wiped the rest of the sunscreen on his legs. “I’m going to go get wet again.”

“Go, have fun.” She smiled at him. “I’ll be along.” 

He took a running start and dove into the pool smoothly.

“He’s like a big kid,” Charlotte observed. 

“Yeah, but he’s my big kid,” Annabeth sighed. “How’s the hot tub?” she asked.

“So good,” Gianna moaned. “The thermometer says it’s one hundred and one. It feels fabulous. I can feel my stress melting away.”

“That sounds good to me,” Annabeth agreed. “Finals are starting to freak me out.” She crossed over and slipped into the water.

“Oh, don’t even get me started,” Mackenzie said as the other girls all came back to the hot tub. Emma took a seat on the edge and dangled her legs in, but Darah, Mackenzie and Charlotte all joined Annabeth. The hot tub was larger than Annabeth had first realized, as it fit them all comfortably. 

“Oh, this does feel good,” Annabeth murmured, settling her back against one of the jets. “Emma, your house is gorgeous. And this is amazing.”

“Thanks,” Emma said brightly. “I loved growing up here. And of course, now that my older siblings are gone, I’ve got the place more or less to myself. I’ve taken over my older sister’s room as a spare closet,” she admitted.

“Nice,” Gianna said. 

"Doesn't she object when she comes home from college?" Yose asked.

"She graduated this year, but she didn't come home. She moved in with her boyfriend. They're both going to the same grad school, so she doesn't care anymore," Emma shrugged. "Works for me, even if mom threw a fit about the whole thing."

"Where's your brother, anyway? Is he here today?" Mackenzie asked.

"He and some buddies went to Montauk for the weekend," Emma explained.

"Kenzie has a crush on Emma's brother," Charlotte offered. "Ever since he was a senior and we were sophomores."

"Hey!" Mackenzie complained. "I can't help it if he's cute."

Emma rolled her eyes, and Annabeth thought she might change the subject before this turned uncomfortable. "Do you play tennis?” Annabeth asked, pointing at the tennis courts.

“Actually, yes, my whole family does,” Emma answered. “I wasn’t good enough to get on the Goode High team, though. But I like to play with my Mom. David was the best in the family, he was on the Goode High team two years ago before he graduated. He plays for UNC now.” Mackenzie sighed. The rest ignored her. 

“That’s cool.” Annabeth was impressed.

“How about you?” Charlotte asked. “Do you play sports? You look like you keep in fabulous shape.” 

Annabeth blushed a little. She remembered what her friends had said when they’d gone to get their hair and makeup. “I do a lot of outdoor stuff,” she explained. “Rock climbing and that sort of thing. And some martial arts.”

“Tell her about what happened last summer,” Darah said excitedly.

Annabeth tried to demure, but Darah rolled on over her, relating the story they’d told about how she’d acquired the scar on her back. Annabeth sighed 

“Wow.” Charlotte’s eyes were wide. “Is that where all those scars came from?” she asked, finally.

“Some of them,” Annabeth admitted. 

“Shit!” Mackenzie exclaimed. “That’s intense. And I thought I was badass for playing lacrosse.” 

There was another splash, the girls all turned to watch the boys who seemed to be organizing some kind of diving competition from the top of the waterfall. 

“How are things going with Josh?” Annabeth asked Darah.

“Pretty good,” Darah said with a smile.. “He’s talking about trying to buy a used car to take to Syracuse so he can come visit next fall.”

“That’s awesome,” Annabeth said. “I’m happy for you.”

“So are you guys, like getting married this summer?” Mackenzie asked Annabeth. “I heard you’re going to the same college.”

Annabeth sighed. “Well, it depends on whether Percy can come up with a convincing argument or not,” she allowed.

“Seriously?” Emma’s eyebrows were around her forehead. “Wow.”

“I don’t know,” Annabeth admitted. “Part of me says, ‘why not?’ part of me just rebels at the ridiculousness of the whole idea,” she admitted. “But I promised him I’d at least think about it.”

“What does your family think?” Yose asked.

“My dad will support us no matter what,” Annabeth told them honestly. “I don’t really care what my step-mom thinks,” she added, and a couple of the girls nodded their understanding on this point. “My mom...has come around to Percy,” she said grudgingly. “Especially after last summer.”

“I should think,” Darah snorted.

“What about Percy’s parents?” Mackenzie asked.

“His mom loves her,” Emma explained.. “She took her prom dress shopping.”

“You went prom dress shopping with Percy’s mom?” Charlotte was surprised.

Annabeth nodded. “My dad and step-mom live in California,” she explained. “And my Mom...well, she’s only around sometimes. So Percy’s mom is like a second mom to me.”

“My Aunt is more a mom than my step-mom,” Charlotte put in. “She and I get along great. My step-mom is useless.” She sighed. 

“What are you doing when you get out of here?” Annabeth asked her. 

“I’m going to Howard, in D.C.,” she said enthusiastically. “I’m going to study journalism, and hopefully get hired by somebody big after I get done. Like the Times, or the WaPo.”

“Nice!” Annabeth told her. “My roommate at Forester is big into politics. She does a lot of protests and stuff.”

“That’s cool,” she said. 

“How about you?” Annabeth asked Mackenzie.

“I’m going to UConn, and I have no idea what I’m going to do when I get there,” she admitted. “I’m going to go in undeclared. What about you?”

“Architecture,” Annabeth said. “That’s always been my passion. I was telling your mom how much I loved the styling of your house,” she added to Emma. “I love the Tudor look.”

A large splash came from the pool, and the girls looked over as the boys laughed. Zion emerged from the pool holding his belly. “Fuck,” he swore.

“That had to hurt,” Gianna observed clinically. She and Yose were sitting where they’d had the best view of the pool. “Whatever he’d been going for, that wasn’t it.”

“That’s gonna leave a mark,” Yose agreed. The other girls winced. 

“You know what every teenage boy’s last words are?” Emma asked.

“Hey, y’all watch this?” Annabeth offered. She could think of a million incidents that ended badly at camp that had started exactly that way.

“Damn straight,” Emma agreed. 

They continued talking and chatting, eventually moving over to the pool with the boys. They were all having a blast. There turned out to be some kind of bacon-parmesan cheese puff that Percy practically inhaled. She did have a crabcake when he wasn’t looking, and it was delicious. Emma mixed her a virgin margarita that was super tasty. They played Marco Polo, which Annabeth was sure Percy was cheating at. The girls also played truth or dare, where Annabeth admitted, that yes, she and Percy had had sex, which seemed to be the prize revelation of the day. Annabeth always chose truth, though, which made her boring, so she wasn’t targeted much. Annabeth supposed she should have taken dare, because the truths that ended up coming out of her were less than half that most of the time, unfortunately. Such was demigod life. Then there was the obligatory swim team grudge match races, which Annabeth, Mackenzie, Charlotte, Zion and Nick were naturally left out of. Annabeth and the other girls watched the races from perches on the barstools, munching on hors d'oeuvres and sipping more virgin cocktails. 

“So, can I ask a personal question?” Charlotte finally got up the courage to say, as they watched Darah and Emma race four lengths of the pool. How Darah could do that in the bikini she was wearing Annabeth had no idea. 

“I’m not pregnant,” Annabeth answered without taking her eyes off Percy, who was standing at the edge of the pool with the stopwatch.

She could tell by the awkward silence that she’d guessed correctly. 

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean…”

“It’s okay,” Annabeth turned and gave her a smile. “I’m sorry if I sounded upset, but I’ve been getting a lot of that.” She sighed. “I suppose it’s only fair, I guess. It  _ is  _ a bit out of the ordinary these days to get engaged this young.”

“It’s certainly not the usual thing,” Mackenzie said. “But it does take all types.”

“Percy and I...we’re a little different,” Annabeth admitted. “We know that.”

“I’m beginning to see that,” Charlotte allowed. “I admit, I didn’t know much about Percy, except he was on the swim team with Emma. And that whole thing when the band room blew up during freshman orientation.”

“And didn’t he, like, study abroad for like half of last year, in like Greece or something?” Mackenzie asked. “The details on that were always sketchy to me.”

“Yes,” Annabeth said. “The long distance thing was tough.”  _ Now there’s a prize understatement, _ she thought.

“But…” Charlotte hesitated. “How can you be sure? I mean…” she stumbled. “Don’t you think you should experience more of life, before committing like that?”

_ My experiences could fill two lifetimes,  _ Annabeth thought. “Nope. I’m good.”

“I wish I had your certainty about life.” Mackenzie shook her head. “I can’t decide what to wear most days, let alone commit to a relationship.”

Annabeth shrugged. “As I said, Percy and I aren’t most people. I admit, it’s not for everyone.”

The grudge races finished up with losers having to perform acts of penance of various levels of embarrassment. Percy was spared these rituals by winning all his races. By this time the afternoon sun was dipping towards the horizon when she heard a sound from the woods that made her hair stand on end, like a barking howl.

“What was that?” Annabeth asked. She’d heard that sound before.

“Oh,” Emma said arily. “There’s, like, this camp area in the woods behind the house. A bunch of college age kids use it for drinking parties and smoking weed and stuff. And they roast animals, I guess, we’ve found the bones. Dad keeps calling the cops for them to come break it up, but they can never seem to catch them at it. Every so often we’ll see one of them wandering around the neighborhood. Dad gets really pissed that the cops seem to not be able to do anything about it. It’s been there about a year or so. Started up sometime around last August. Weird that they don’t seem to be from around any of the local neighborhoods.” 

Annabeth felt her blood run cold.  _ Last August _ . Could they be stragglers from the army that had attacked camp that hadn’t been mopped up? Before she could formulate another question, she heard Percy. 

“Annabeth!” Percy hollered and she jumped, looking at him but he was pointing behind her. He already had his hand in the pocket of his bathing suit as he seemed to boil directly out of the water as if propelled. She turned. Standing on the lawn, just at the edge of the woods, was a group of about eight cynocephali, their dog heads quivering as they stared down at the gathering of teenagers. They were armed with swords and spears. 

"What the fuck,” Emma swore. “What are those kids doing? Are they high?” She raised her voice. “Hey, you, get out of my yard! I’m going to call the cops!” 

The leader gave another bone chilling howl, and they started advancing. Someone screamed, and everyone started heading toward the house. 

“They fucked up on bath salts!” Gianna yelled. “They gonna try and eat us!” 

Annabeth’s bag was 10 feet away, with her dagger. She started to scramble for it. Percy landed gracefully at the edge of the patio and planted himself between the house and the cynocephali, Riptide flashing already. “Oh, no you don’t,” Percy declared. “Not today.” He ripped off a piercing taxicab whistle that the cynocephali clearly didn’t like, as they flinched away. Annabeth had her dagger out, and came up next to Percy, but she felt ridiculous in her bathing suit. She might as well have been naked. 

“Ideas?” she asked.

“I don’t really want to blow out the irrigation system,” Percy said grimly, “But I will if I have to.” The cynocephali advanced more cautiously now, trying to flank them. “I’m hoping the reinforcements I called for will show up.” 

“What reinforcements?” she asked. 

But his response was lost as one of the cynocephali suddenly charged towards her. Percy got between it and her, the dog headed creature’s blade clanging off Riptide. Annabeth ducked under and got her dagger into the creature’s belly, and it dissolved into dust. The others backed off, warier now that their prey had claimed first blood.

“If they rush us all at once we won’t make it.” Annabeth blew a stray strand of her hair out of her face..

“If they start to rush us, break for the pool,” Percy ordered. “I’ll use the…” he broke off as the leader seemed to give some signal, and the remainder began to tense. 

But just as he did, there was an ear-splitting  _ arooooooooooo  _ and a massive black shape seemed to melt into being in the shadows of the trees at the edge of the forest. 

Mrs. O’Leary barreled down onto the surprised left flank of the cynocephali, who did not have a chance. She bit the first one in half even as she swept another aside with a great paw and sent it flying back toward the forest. The others turned to face this new threat, only to have Percy charge into them with Riptide flashing. Annabeth spied two trying to make a break for cover, and sprinted after them. She hurled her dagger into the back of one, and snagged a pool net from the tool rack as she went by. She hurled it like a spear at the monster’s legs and it had just enough length to tangle in it’s legs, causing it to fall flat. Percy dispatched it with a mighty beheading blow with Riptide. Mrs. O’Leary had a monster clamped in her jaws, and she shook it vigorously as it turned to dust. Percy looked around for most monsters, but they were gone. He lowered Riptide. 

“Good girl,” he panted, as Mrs. O’Leary loped toward him, and licked his entire body with her enormous tongue. He scratched the side of her head (the highest he could reach). “Good girl, Mrs. O’Leary.” She snuffled happily, nosing into Annabeth, who nearly fell over backwards. 

“Good girl,” Annabeth said, laughing, despite the hellhound’s sulfurous breath.

“Go lie down in the woods, take a nap,” Percy told her, scratching her leg. “Then head back to Camp, okay girl? I promise we’ll play Get the Greek next time I’m there,” he assured her.

Mrs. O’Leary licked Percy once more, and woofed happily, then loped off into the woods

Kamal, Josh, Nick and Zion came boiling out of the house, armed with an assortment of sporting equipment, like golf clubs and what might have been either a cricket bat or a fraternity paddle. Then an adult, who she presumed was Mr. Scott, appeared, carrying a shotgun. He was swearing colorfully.

“What the fuck just happened?” Kamal asked, looking around. “There were these guys, and then they ran away, and a bear...fuck was that a grizzly bear?” 

Annabeth thought quickly, she snapped her fingers, hoping she’d picked up enough tricks from Hazel to make this work. “The college kids were running from the bear,” she told them. “Percy scared the bear off. We’ve been taught how to do that at Camp.” Annabeth mentally crossed her fingers.

For a moment, she wasn’t sure it was going to work, but then something seemed to settle around their eyes and they all lowered their weapons as a new reality slotted into place. 

“Dude, man, that was impressive,” Zion spoke in an awed voice. “What kind of bear do you think that was?” 

“It was bigger than a brown bear,” Mr. Scott observed. “It looked like a grizzly to me, but I don’t know how one could have gotten here. I’m going to have to call animal control.” He turned to Percy “Good job, young man.” 

“Yeah, that was awesome,” Nick added. “Those are some mad survival skills that you have.”

The girls began emerging from the house, also adjusting to the new reality Annabeth had manipulated for them. They all hugged Percy in relief and he looked embarrassed to be made hero of the story. Everyone complimented him on how brave he was, but he just blushed and stammered. Annabeth grinned as his discomfiture. Percy deserved to have other people see he was a hero, even if they didn’t exactly see what he had done. 

The party tried to get going again, but the disturbance had taken the steam out of the event, and soon it began to break up. 

Mackenzie, Charlotte and Zion were the first to leave. Mackenzie had the car, and Charlotte and Zion had carpooled with her, so they didn’t have much choice when she announced she was leaving. The girls hugged Annabeth and Percy both, again, congratulating Annabeth, and thanking Percy again. Annabeth wished them all luck with their remaining school year, and they left. Shortly thereafter, Gianna and Yose had to head out, with Emma’s mom taking them to the commuter station to catch the train back to New York. Nick left right after they did, leaving Annabeth, Percy, Darah, Josh, Emma and Kamal sitting around the outdoor bar, sipping their virgin cocktails and chowing down on the last of the catering leftovers. It felt very grown up, as they sat at their bar stools wrapped in their towels and drying in the still warm air. Well, except for Percy. He was already dry. 

“I don’t want to go back to school tomorrow,” Emma groaned. “I can’t wait for summer.”

“Except for work,” Kamal pointed out.

“Ugg,” Darah grunted. “Don’t remind me. What are you doing this summer?” she asked Kamal.

“Working Yankees games again,” he answered.

“Doing what?” Annabeth asked.

“Ticket scanning at the gate. It kinda sucks, but I do get to see games for free,” he allowed.

“That’s awesome, actually,” Annabeth said. “What about you?” she asked Darah. 

“I work at an ice cream place,” she explained. “It’s a couple blocks from my mom’s place. Super busy in the summer.” She sighed. “Good tips, though, with the tourists. When I’m not there, I’ll be volunteering at the Animal Shelter, helping run the free vet clinic.”

“I’ll be at the Pleasantville Dunkin’ Donuts,” Emma said with fake relish. “It’s right around the corner from here. What about you guys?” she asked Percy and Annabeth.

“I’m doing an internship at Jacobs and Timlin, the architecture firm,” Annabeth said. 

“I’ve heard of them,” Kamal said, impressed. “They’re a big noise. That’s sweet.”

“I’ll be at Camp,” Percy added. “I’ll be doing some head counsellor stuff.”. He was deliberately vague, Annabeth knew, to disguise the fact that he wouldn’t actually be working. 

Darah nodded. “That’s cool that you can go back and work there. It’s like keeping a hold of childhood for one more summer.” 

“What about you, Josh?” Kamal asked. “What are you doing?” 

“Um,” he cast an apologetic glance at Darah, who sighed unhappily. “My parents are sending me to Israel for a month to work on a kibbutz. I guess I don’t really have much choice in the matter.”

“Dude, that sucks,” Percy commiserated. “Did your brothers do that?”

“Yes,” Josh admitted. “They wanted me to take a whole gap year, and spend a year doing it. I talked them out of it. My mom was all like ‘your brother David did it!’” He mimicked his mother’s accent. “I was like, Ma, yeah, David did it, but David’s studying to be a rabbi! I want to be a sports reporter. So they relented. Zev and Ari only did a month, so I get to do a month too.”

“Just be safe over there,” Annabeth advised. 

Josh gave her a wry look. “I gather I’m going to be in the Negev Desert somewhere, I don’t think I’m going to be anywhere where it might get dangerous.” He took Darah’s hand. “At least I’ll have internet service.”

“Mm. And all those kibbutznik girls your mother hopes you’ll like better than me,” Darah said darkly. She did sound worried.

Josh shrugged. “It’ll be okay, I promise.” 

“At least it will overlap with the week I’ll be upstate doing farm animal work,” Darah sighed. “So I’ll be gone while you’re gone.” 

They lapsed into silence for a few moments, listening to Billy Joel on the patio speakers, singing about a New York State of Mind. Percy hummed along.

“That was some real fast thinking today, Perce,” Kamal said finally. “You keep your head in a crisis. I about shit my pants when I saw that bear coming.”

Percy shrugged, blushing. “Yeah, well. Training.”

“And you,” Darah turned to Annabeth. “Heading up right there with him, in a bikini, no less. That was a great call on the pool net thing.”

“Thanks,” Annabeth said, finding herself uncomfortable with the attention. The look Percy gave her clearly said,  _ see, how do you like it? _

“I’m going to miss you guys,” Emma said. 

“We’ll see each other on breaks,” Darah assured her. “And Carnegie-Mellon isn’t that far away. Percy and Annabeth are going the farthest.” 

Annabeth felt a little ridiculous thrill run through her at being included in this way. Friends had been hard to come by in her life, and she was simultaneously excited and disappointed that she hadn’t gotten to experience this sooner. 

“You need to make him get a cell phone,” Josh told Annabeth. “I keep telling him, how are we going to keep in touch if he doesn’t have a phone.” 

Percy shrugged at her. “I’ll take care of it,” she promised. “I gotta get my phone fixed, too. Mine’s been broken, and I’m waiting to be upgrade eligible.”

“Girl, I hear that,” Emma concurred. “I can barely read my screen, but my dad says I gotta wait. He says it’s my own fault for dropping it so many times.”

“Well, he’s not wrong,” Kamal pointed out. 

Emma stuck her tongue out at him.

“Emma?” her mother called from the house. “Do you and your friends want to order some pizzas? It’s getting late.”

Annabeth sighed. “I should be getting back to the dorm,” she said sadly. “I have laundry that needs to be done.” 

“That sucks,” Darah said. “I never thought of that, you have to do all your own laundry at a boarding school.”

“Yeah, it kinda sucks,” Annabeth agreed. “Although the uniform simplifies a lot of wardrobe choices.”

“I bet,” Emma agreed. "My parents thought about sending me there. Dad thought an all girls school was a great idea." She snorted. "I convinced them not to. Despite the advantage of not having to worry about making choices, I think I would have hated uniforms."

"The worst part is the prohibition on leggings," Annabeth explained. "I'd much rather wear leggings under my skirt in the winter than nylons or tights."

"Ugh, no thank you." Darah wrinkled her nose.

“Thought I bet Percy appreciates the school girl look, huh, Perce?” Kamal joked, saluting Percy with his drink.

Percy grinned. “I mean…” he trailed off suggestively, and everyone laughed.

They made their farewells to everyone, thanking Emma for having them. Annabeth got hugs from Emma and Darah, and promises to exchange contact info as soon as Annabeth got her phone fixed. She promised it would not be the last time she saw them before graduation. Percy got back slapping hugs from Kamal and Josh, and they both thanked Emma’s parents on their way out. They both thanked him again profusely for scaring away ‘the bear’, and Mr. Scott reported that he’d passed on the sighting to Animal Control and they’d pledged to send out agents to deal with the creature. 

“That was fun,” Percy said as they climbed into the Prius.

“Except for the cynocephali,” Annabeth pointed out. “But you dealt with that.”

“I had help,” Percy protested. “I don’t think we could have done it, without Mrs. O’Leary.” 

“Still,” she purred. “You were hot.” She gripped his arm suggestively. 

Percy snorted. “That’s enough of that,” he said firmly. “Paul pulled me aside before we left for Boston and made me promise never to have sex in his car. It’s a conversation I’d prefer not to revisit in any way shape or form. So, keep your hands to yourself. “

Annabeth laughed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Loved it, hated it? Email TheAuthor@no2ticonderoga.com
> 
> Twitter: @no_2ticonderoga
> 
> NO SPOILERS IN COMMENTS, please, and thank you 🙉🙈😊❤


	39. 39: Percy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, Amazon tells me my copy of TON will be delivered sometime this morning. In the meantime, enjoy this chapter!
> 
> And thanks for everyone who's been checking out The Rembrandts companion piece! I've really enjoyed providing these alternate POVs.

The week after Memorial Day ground out for Percy. It was a universal truism that the shortest weeks were the longest. He had two tests during the week, one on Wednesday in history, and one on Friday in physics, and by the time he got through them, he was wiped out. All he really wanted to do Friday afternoon was go home as quickly as possibly, and crash on the couch. 

It appeared Paul had the same thought, because though they didn't see each when they left school, they found themselves waiting for the same crosstown train at the subway station.

"Hey," Paul said, nodding at Percy.

"Hey," Percy responded. He looked at Paul critically. "You look about how I feel." Paul was hunched over, his messenger bag full of grading seeming to drag him down lopsidedly. His eyes were fixed on a spot in the middle distance. 

Paul blew out a long breath and shook himself. "Long week."

"Same," Percy said. "But you know what?" he asked.

"What's that?"

"I know some aliens that need some ass kicking when we get home." 

Paul grinned. "That sounds like just what the doctor ordered." He fist bumped Percy.

So, the two men of the house found themselves planted on the couch with chips and sodas and video game controllers, with Estelle propped up between them. The flashing lights and the various exclamations of joy or despair they gave made her burble excitedly.

"Rough couple weeks at school?" Paul asked.

"Yeah. Between all the attention about Annabeth, and the thing with the monsters at Emma's place, I haven't really gotten a moment's peace."

Paul snorted. "Me either."

Percy grunted. "Yeah, sorry about that." Percy reflected that Paul must have gotten at least as many questions about his engagement as he did. 

Paul shrugged. "It's okay. Though I wish you had warned me about some of the stories you and Annabeth have been telling to your friends to try and explain things. Mrs. Langston caught me by surprise this week when she asked me if it was true you'd carried Annabeth out of the forest after she'd broken her leg in a climbing accident. I had to think fast on that one."

Percy grinned. "Tell Annabeth. She'll brief you."

Paul sighed. “I am both relieved and disappointed that it’s taken you this long to really open up to your friends,” he said. “I mean, it’s nice to see you connecting with them in new ways, but at the same time, maintaining some of these fictions in the long term is tricky.” 

“We have to figure it out at some point,” Percy pointed out. “I mean, we’re not going to live in a bubble forever.”

“I thought you guys were talking about staying in California?” Paul asked.

Percy sighed. “For college, yeah, but...I’m not sure how feasible it is for the long term. New Rome is a small place. Suppose we don’t find work?” he sighed again. “And..I think I’d miss New York.”

Paul nodded. “That’s understandable.”

“You and mom and Estelle will still be here. I don’t want to miss getting to see her grow up.” Percy felt his throat catch.. “And Annabeth says that by the time we finish college, the monsters won’t be as interested in us.” He did not share his idea about living out on Long Island at or near Camp. “So if we came back out here, we could live something close to normal. And we’d have mortal friends.”

“True,” Paul allowed. 

“So, we’d have to figure it out sooner or later,” he said.

“Fair,” Paul agreed. Estelle burbled a raspberry and rocked herself enough that she began to slide down from her propped up position.

“Whoopsie,” Percy smiled, pausing the game. “Can’t have that, now can we?” he asked rhetorically. She giggled as he plopped her in his lap. “Come sit with big brother, we’ll get the big bad aliens together.”

Paul grinned. “I’m not sure your mom would approve of teaching her how to kill things at this age.”

“Hey, I wasn’t much older than her when I strangled a snake,” he pointed out.

“I’d really prefer it if she didn’t have to deal with that,” Paul sounded like he was pleading.

“Yeah,” Percy sighed. “Me too.” He paused and looked up at Paul. “I don’t know if I’ve said it enough, but, thanks. For not running out on us. This hasn’t been easy for you, I know. But, it’s made all the difference for mom. I don’t know what she would have done last year, if you hadn’t been here for her.”

Paul smiled and clapped him on the shoulder. “I admit, there were moments, early on. The band room thing,” Percy winced. “And some of the other stuff. When I finally understood, when I realized what was really happening...I was proud to be a part of it.”

“Was that before, or after, Mrs. O’Leary nearly destroyed the apartment?” Percy asked, grinning.

“Well, her showing up certainly helped convince me that you both weren’t living some kind of shared delusion, let’s put it that way.” Paul gave a wry smile.

“Heh,” Percy chuckled. “I wish.” He brooded for a moment. “I...I’m not sure how to phrase this. I’m not great at words.”

“That’s okay,” Paul encouraged, “Just say what’s on your mind.”

“Just...something mom and I talked about. How most demigods don’t get a whole lot of great role models for what good marriage looks like. I mean, if you look at my friends. Annabeth. Leo spent most of his life in foster care. Jason’s mom went nuts...I can’t really think of any other demigods who had as strong a relationship with their mortal step parent. And from my own standpoint, most of my experiences with marriage in life have been what  _ not _ to do, whether it’s my dad, or Gabe, or practically all the gods, except for Artemis and Athena, really. So really, I guess, I just want to say thank you,” he said. “Because, well, when I think about the kind of marriage I want with Annabeth, I think about your relationship with mom.”

Paul didn’t say anything for a long moment. Estelle burbled at Percy, waving her little arms up at him. Percy blew a raspberry back at her. 

“That...that means a lot, Percy, thank you.” Paul cleared his throat. “I..uh. Well.” He cleared his throat again. “I sometimes...well, sometimes I have felt left out, and a bit...well, useless, at times. Like, I’m just a mortal, who can’t really see into your world. Sally, she can see it, and you, you and Annabeth, you live it. I guess I sometimes don’t know where I fit in.”

Percy nodded. “I can understand that. But, look at it this way. You’re like a rock, in a river. Something to grab onto when everything else is chaos. Because you  _ are _ on the outside. You’re a glimpse of what could be. And that’s important. Like I said, outside of TV shows, and movies, I don’t know that I’d have a good role model for what it’s like to be married. The only other thing I can do is try  _ not _ to be like the others I know, and hope for the best.” Estelle began to fuss, unhappy in her position. Percy picked her up, and sat her where she could see Paul. “There, that better?” he asked.

“You’ll do fine, Percy,” he said. “Marriage is...well, it’s work. You have to wake up every morning and want it to work. Somedays, the work is easy. Others...not so much,” he shrugged. “It’s making a choice, day after day, that this is the person you want to be with, and you do what you need to do to keep it that way. And it’s a choice that both of you have to make. If only one of you is making that choice...” Paul shrugged. “But I really don’t think that’s going to be a problem for you, or for Annabeth.” He snorted. “I suppose, when you’ve already turned down immortality to be with a person once, making the choice to be together, day after day, is maybe not as hard.”

“Would you turn it down?” Percy asked. “For mom?”

“Yes,” Paul said firmly. “I think I would. After all, eternity would be really boring without the person who you most like to be with.”

Percy nodded. “Yeah. Annabeth and I talked about that once,” he said. “We were talking about whether we would stay in Elysium, or try for the Isles of the Blest. We figured it had to be a joint decision.” 

“Have you ever considered that you might be on your third go round already?” Paul asked.

Percy’s mind stopped at this thought, like he could almost hear the record scratch in his mind. “Um, no.” 

“It’s possible. You wouldn’t know it. Imagine the surprise,” Paul said. 

_ What if Annabeth is on her third, and I’m only on my first?  _ he wondered.  _ What if… _ Percy had to try and forcibly stop his brain from spinning out  _ what ifs _ . Paul must have seen something in his expression, because he looked upset. 

“Did I...oh, man, Percy, I’m sorry, did I say something wrong?” he asked, very concerned.

“Nah,” Percy managed. “It’s fine.” He swallowed. “I shouldn’t be thinking about it anyway. It’s way too far away to worry about.” A lie they all chose to believe in.

Paul did not look convinced. “Are you…”

Percy decided he deserved the truth. “I was just thinking, what if we’re not on the same number of lives, of if one of us is on our third, and the other not.” He swallowed. “I’m going to try not to think about it.”

“Oh,” Paul said. He stared at Percy for a long moment. “Percy I’m…”

“No, it’s okay, really. I would have thought of that at some point on my own anyway, or Annabeth would have. Knowing Annabeth, she’s probably thought of it already and has been keeping it to herself,” Percy grumbled. “To keep me from worrying.” He sighed. “Paul, it’s not your fault. Our lives are what they are. All we can do is make the best of them. And Franky, my time is better spent worrying about my _ life _ life, not my afterlife. I’d like to avoid that stage of my existence as long as possible.” 

“Well, that’s a sentiment I can get behind,” Paul agreed. “Those things are beyond your control, and what happens is not your fault.”

The phone started ringing, and Paul grumbled, looking at his watch. “Telemarketers always call around dinner time,” he said. 

Sally, in the kitchen getting dinner ready, answered the phone. “Annabeth!” They heard her exclaim in surprise. Percy perked up. “Yes, that’s exciting. I’ll get him.”

Percy was in the kitchen before his mom could all his name. He took the phone from her. “Hey, Wise Girl.”

“My cell phone started working!” she exclaimed

“Well, that’s good news,” Percy replied. “Have you called Piper yet?”

“No,” she said. “I called you first. I was sitting here, doing school work, and all of a sudden, it rang. It was a telemarketer, but it’s the first time it’s done anything in months. I called you right off. Do you have drachmas?” she asked.

“Um. Yeah, I’ll see what I can do. Call me back after you try Piper.”

“Yeah.” She hung up.

Percy headed to his room and dug out a bag of drachmas that he kept in a drawer. Then he grabbed a flashlight and headed for the shower. It took him a minute to get the angle right, but when he had a nice rainbow, he called out. “O Fleecy, do me a solid. Show me Jason Grace.” He tossed in the drachma, but it clattered to the floor of the tub. Percy checked the angle of the flashlight, and tried again. This time, he tried to reach Chiron. The drachma disappeared into the mist this time, and a fuzzy image appeared. 

“Chiron?” Percy called.

“...rcy?” 

“I’m testing communications. Annabeth thinks they might be coming back!” he called, hoping that at least some of that got through. The image cleared for a moment, and Percy could see Chiron at the head table at Camp. 

“Local messages have been getting through for about a week now,” Chiron told him. “But…” and the mist wavered and whatever he said was lost. It snapped back. “This is the first link we’ve had to the city.” 

“Annabeth’s cell phone started working,” Percy explained. “She’s going to try calling Piper.” 

“Let us know…” and the picture dissolved again, and didn’t come back.

Percy tried one more time, this time, he asked for Grover. The coin disappeared, but the image remained a blank wall of fuzz. 

The phone was ringing, so waved his hand through the image, and went back out to the kitchen. 

He answered it. “Any luck?” he asked without preamble. 

“No,” she said sadly. “I’m getting a busy circuit on any line west of the Mississippi. I tried Rachel. I think I got her voicemail.”

“When I tried Jason, the Iris Message wouldn’t even take my coin. With Grover, I at least got a blank screen of fuzz. I did get through to Chiron at camp, briefly. He said that local Iris Messages have been working for about a week. It sounds like whatever was causing the interference is going away, but slowly.”

“Make sense, since it got worse over time, it will get better over time,” she agreed. “I’m coming over.”

“Okay. What for?”

“We’re going to go get you a cell phone,” she told him. “We can’t talk long, but at least we could text. Monsters can’t overhear us if we’re not talking. I should go,” she said. “Love you. See you soon.”

“Love you, too.” 

Mom looked at him expectantly when he hung up. “Well?” she asked.

“Nothing from anyone out west,” he told her. “But we can Iris Message camp. So presumably, they could reach us.” 

“Well, that’s something,” his mom replied. “Maybe Apollo and Meg have finished their quest.”

“Maybe,” Percy said. “Annabeth’s coming over. She wants to get me a cell phone. So we can text.”

“Leave it in your locker at school,” she ordered. “You don’t need the distraction during the day.”

“Yes, mom.” 

Annabeth arrived within the hour, and had dinner with them. They went out after dinner to find him a cell phone. Percy didn’t want anything super fancy. He really didn’t want it at all. It made him nervous just to have one, but he saw her point. It would be nice to be able to reach out to her, if he had a nightmare, or something. And, as she pointed out, he could keep in better touch with his friends, especially once school ended.

They ended him getting one of the prepaid kind, with unlimited texting and calls, but almost no data, for one monthly fee. Percy didn’t really anticipate wanting to look up things on the internet, that was no problem. Annabeth helped him get it set up, and programmed in the numbers from her phone that she thought would be important for him to have: hers, his own apartment, Mom, Paul, Camp, Piper’s and Rachel’s. “Now, when you get to school on Monday, make sure you get all your friends to give you their numbers,” she said. “And give them mine. Have them text me their numbers.”

“Okay,” Percy said, smiling a little as Annabeth organized his life for him. She was good like that. “What do you want to do now?” he asked. It wasn’t even 7:30 yet, and it was Friday. 

"Is there anything decent playing at the movies?" she asked.

"I have no idea." He sighed. “I don’t really feel like a movie anyway.”

"Why don't we just go back to your place," she said. "We can find something on TV, or you can play a video game while I read a book." She shook her head. "Honestly, Percy, it was a long week and I just kind of want to veg out."

"Saaaame." He loved it when they were in sync. 

And so, the evening found them in Percy’s room, cuddled up on his bed, while Percy watched a video on his laptop, and Annabeth read a book. He would occasionally press a kiss to the top of her head, and she would sigh and snuggle into him a little deeper. 

Percy really wasn’t paying that much attention to the video on his laptop. Instead, he let his mind wander. He couldn’t really imagine a better way to spend a Friday evening. When he yawned for the third time, however Annabeth said. “Should I be getting on home, let you go to sleep? You sound exhausted.”

“You could stay,” he suggested hopefully. 

“No, I really can’t,” she said firmly. “At least not tonight. I didn’t sign out of the dorm, so I have to be in for the night.”

“Do they really track that?” he asked.

“You know they do.” She sounded exasperated. “I swipe my ID whenever I go in and out. If I don’t swipe back in, someone will notice.”

Percy sighed. “Next time, you should just leave your ID with Kirsten and she could swipe you in.”

“Maybe next time,” she rolled her eyes, “I’ll just sign out legally, instead of cheating.” 

“Good plan.” He nodded agreement. 

“I should head back,” she sighed.

“We have a few more minutes,” he protested, hugging her tight. “I’ll walk you home.”

“Okay.” She didn’t argue. She didn’t like him going home alone, but she also recognized that it was safer to go in numbers whenever possible. “So, have you talked to your mom about going out to California for a bit after graduation? See my dad, go apartment hunting?”

Percy shook his head. “I wasn’t sure you were serious about it.” 

“I am,” she promised. “Even if we don’t get married. I think we should move in together. It would be good for us.” 

Percy agreed, but he hadn’t been sure Annabeth saw it that way. “Fewer nightmares,” he agreed.

“Though there is the problem of paying for this apartment,” she muttered.

“I thought I might get a job,” Percy suggested. “I can probably make enough to pay the rent.”

“And go to classes.  _ And _ keep up with your training?” 

“Well…” Percy knew she had a point.

“You’ll never make the Olympics if you cut back on your training.”

Percy felt his eyebrow rise. “Who said anything…”

Annabeth looked at him, with that small smile she got when she had pulled one over on him. “You think I didn’t know? That you were thinking about it?”

“I hadn’t said anything,” Percy protested. He really hadn't. It was still an unvoiced dream. He should have known better than to try and keep something like that from Annabeth. 

“You didn’t have to, I know you. So, are you serious about it?" She had that challenging look in her eyes, the one that said 'put up or shut up'.

Percy thought about it for a long moment. “I think so,” he said finally. “I had some of the best times in the country at states. And you know about that recruiter.” Percy had been visited by a recruiter from the University of Michigan, which had one of the better collegiate teams. He’d also gotten letters from coaches at a bunch of other places, even Berkely, which Annabeth found amusing.

“So, if you’re serious about it, then you need to be training.” Her face settled into her determined expression, and he realized that he had just tacitly given her permission to start organizing his schedule. He found he didn't mind. She would be a partner in this. But it avoided the fundamental question. 

“That doesn’t answer the question of what to do about an apartment,” he pointed out. 

“I wonder...hm.” She looked at him speculatively. “I’m not sure I want to bring this up.”

“What?” he asked.

“Well, some schools do provide married student housing,” she said slowly.

_ Married student housing.  _ He felt his heart jump up into his throat. Percy looked at her, but didn’t say anything. He doubted he could just then. 

“If they did, then our housing might be covered through our tuition.”

Percy found his voice. He cleared his throat. “That would require us to, y’know, be married.”

“I’m aware,” she said flatly. “And this is not a yes. It’s just an option to consider,” she stressed. 

“I understand,” he soothed. “I’m still planning to talk to Berger about it.” He had made the appointment already. They would go in next Wednesday, after school. Annabeth had been too busy with her dinner this week to make it any sooner. 

“That’s all I ask,” she pronounced, and she kissed his cheek. “I should be getting home, though.” She sat up.

“Awww, okay.” He put his computer down and stretched. “I need to find my wallet, it’s got my Metro Card.” He rummaged through the detritus on the top of his dresser. “Got it.”

They went out to the living room. Paul and his mom were watching one of those house flipping shows on the TV. “I’m heading home,” Annabeth told them, leaning down to exchange a kiss with his mom and brief hug with Paul. “I’ll probably be around tomorrow.”

“Okay, dearie,” Sally smiled. “Be careful on the way home.” 

“We will,” Percy promised them.

As they rode downtown on the subway, they chatted about school. They were almost to their stop, when Percy finally said. “Annabeth, if you want, I can clear some more space in my drawers. So you can stay over more often. Like, every weekend, if you want. And you’ll need the space for when you stay with mom during your internship. I can make room in my closet too,” he said eagerly.

She smiled at him, gripping his arm tighter. “That’s sweet, Percy. I’d like that. Though I don’t think it will be every weekend. And besides, as soon as school lets out, we’ll be either in California, or back at Camp, at least until my internship.”

“If we get married, do you think Chiron will let you stay with me in my cabin?” he asked. 

“I have no idea,” Annabeth admitted. “I don’t think that’s ever been an issue before.”

“I doubt that,” Percy snorted. “How long has he been training heroes? You can’t possibly tell me that this has  _ never _ happened before in all the years he’s been overseeing camp.”

“You’re right,” she allowed. “Though probably not between Athena and Poseidon campers.”

“No, probably not. But seriously, all those Aphrodite campers? There must have been some procedure back in the day.” 

“Well, you have a point there.” Annabeth grinned. “Just be careful about repeating that around Piper.”

Percy left her at the dorm with a kiss, and made his way back uptown. It was blessedly uneventful. Except for the drunk panhandler on the subway. But that was normal. Percy tossed a buck into his hat, partially because he felt sympathy for people who were down on their luck. He’d been there. But partly to make the guy go away, and take his stale alcohol smell away. 

Mom and Paul had gone to bed by the time he got into the apartment, but he knocked on the door to their room and said. “I’m home.” There was an indistinct acknowledgement from within. He was tired, so he headed straight to bed, though he did turn on the living room tv to check the score on the Mets game before he turned in. They were losing to the Phillies.  _ Bah. _

He went back to his room and crawled into bed. Unfortunately, sleep was not on the agenda that evening. Or at least uninterrupted sleep. Disrupted and disturbed dreams crowded his night. Blurred and indistinct images fuzzed in and out. He saw Grover, and there was fire, but the image moved on. He saw Frank, and there was more fire, which was really scary. Then there was a river. And a river he knew. He’d been there. It was the Lethe. He was standing in front of it, and he knew somehow that he was about to step into it. A voice said. “It’s not your fault. Don’t blame yourself. Tell...her.” And then the voice cut off. The voice was too far away to recognize. Was this because he and Paul been talking about rebirth? Was he choosing rebirth because he and Annabeth had been separated? He woke with a start as the water of the Lethe swallowed him.

He was deeply unsettled as he tried to steady his ragged breathing. A glance at the clock on the bedside table said that he’d been asleep for about two and half hours. He picked up his new phone, and texted Annabeth. 

_ U up? _

The message came back after only a moment.  _ Yes. I had a nightmare. _

_ Me 2. V strange. Saw Grover and Frank, and fire. & Lethe. U? _

_ Yuck. The Lethe? That’s weird. _

_ Yeah what was yours? _

_ Mine was just monsters. You were there, though.  _

_ Well, that’s good. _

_ No. You were hurt. _

_ N good im ok i promise just rattled  _

_ It’s nice to be able to talk to you. _

_ Yeah im glad you made me get the phone i love u wise grl _

_ I love you too, Seaweed Brain. Go try and get some sleep. See you tomorrow? _

_ Yah want 2 grab lunch?  _

_ Yeah. That sounds great. Go to sleep. _

_ U 2 i love u  _

_ Love you. _

Percy put the phone up, and rolled over. Eventually, he drifted off to sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Love it? Hate it? Email: TheAuthor@no2ticonderoga.com
> 
> Follow me on Twitter! @no_2ticonderoga


	40. 40: Annabeth

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I finally got TON, and I finished it. I don't think I'm spoiling anything to say that Uncle Rick desperately needs a calendar to help him keep track of his plots, and for a guy who says he's done writing, he certainly left himself enough openings to go back if he wants to....
> 
> This fic is officially AU now, though, really only minorly. If you squint and ignore a couple of details, you can pretend it's not. 
> 
> Anyway, thanks for reading, and enjoy!

Saturday had been a beautiful day, and she and Percy had spent the afternoon in Central Park. They packed a picnic and their schoolwork. Percy had brought one of his physics study guides, Annabeth had brought some calculus homework. They’d staked out a spot in one of their favorite places near the Central Park Zoo. It wasn’t too crowded in this area, despite the beautiful weather. They worked together on their work, lounging on the picnic blanket. Percy sat against the tree, and Annabeth lay with her head in his lap while she worked on math problems with her notebook propped on her knees. Percy occasionally stroking her hair was a little distracting, but they managed to get quite a bit of work done regardless. 

When they needed a break, they tossed a frisbee around, just to stretch their legs. Percy was good at throwing, though, not so much at catching, but they had a laugh anyway. When they’d tired of the game, they went back to studying, though this time, Annabeth sat with Percy while he worked on his study guide, helping him parse out some of the more difficult material. Percy had finally called a halt when he started getting a headache, and they just sat together, Percy closing his eyes and half dozing. Annabeth sketched in a fresh notebook. They’d eventually headed back to Percy’s place for dinner with Sally, Paul and Estelle. 

After dinner, she’d headed back to the dorm. She had told Kirsten that she’d been thinking of signing out for the night and staying over with Percy, but to her surprise, Kirsten had asked her not to, saying that she’d been hoping to have a movie night for the four friends. There’d been a new movie adaptation of some British novel that Ava loved that she’d been able to get and was excited to share with them. Annabeth had reluctantly agreed, though Percy was disappointed when she’d told him. 

She was just texting Percy to let him know that she’d arrived safely at home when she walked into her room.

“Surprise!” three voices called out.

Annabeth jumped and reached for her belt, but her dagger was in her backpack. Her brain caught up with her a split second later, and she stopped. Kassandra, Ava and Kirsten were standing there grinning at her, holding signs that said “Here Comes the Bride” and “Future Bridesmaid(Please, maybe?)” and “Getting Hitched".

"Oh my...what have you done?" she exclaimed, laughing. The room was decorated with white crepe paper, and black and white balloons. There were gift bags piled on the bed, and there was a bottle with glasses on the desk. 

They laughed and hugged her, draping her with a "bride to be" sash and a novelty wedding veil. 

"Surprise," Ava laughed.

"You guys are too much," Annabeth marveled. "You did all of this for me?"

"I had to rein then in," Kirsten chuckled. "They wanted to invite the whole floor." Kirsten shook her head. "I convinced them that wasn't what you would want."

"Thank you," Annabeth said faintly, overwhelmed for a moment by the vision of the whole horde crowded into the common room, half of whom were people she'd rather not spend time with. "This is perfect." Annabeth let them settle her into the desk chair they had decorated as a throne. 

"Drinks," Kirsten announced. She started to work the cork out of the bottle.

"How did you get a hold of champagne?" Annabeth asked.

"Surprisingly easily," Ava explained. "When I went out to the house at the Hamptons last weekend with mom and dad, I grabbed one from the wine cellar while no one was paying any attention. I stayed away from the expensive bottles, so no one would notice it was missing. There were like, two whole cases of this stuff. I figured, if Libby and Brigitte can get Captain in on the regular, how hard could it be?" She shrugged. “I shoved it in my backpack and carried it in through the front door.” 

With a ‘pop’ the champagne cork came loose and Kirsten poured four glasses. “Here’s to you, Annabeth,” Kassandra toasted. “You and Percy.”

“Cheers,” Ava said, and they all clinked the plastic stemware. Annabeth took a sip. The bubbles tickled her nose. 

“Annnnd,” Kirsten announced, pulling open the minifridge. “We’ve got food, too. Desert anyway, we figured you would have eaten at Percy’s.” She produced a large box of gourmet chocolate covered strawberries, as well as a box of cookies from one of the more upscale bakeries in the neighborhood. 

“Oh, gods,” Annabeth said with a laugh. “Good thing prom’s already over, or we’d never fit into our dresses.” They laughed. “I can’t believe you guys did this. I don’t know whether to cry or to be mad.” She really couldn’t believe they had gone to all this trouble, especially when she had said that she wasn’t sure she wanted it. 

“We had to do something,” Ava said reasonably. “You’re the first person we know who’s gotten engaged. It’s a milestone for us, too.” She took a sip of her champagne. “Not bad.”

“It’s okay,” Kirsten allowed. “Better than most of the rotgut that gets smuggled in here.”

“I’ve never had any before,” Kassandra admitted. “I wouldn’t know the difference.”

“You’ve never drank before?” Kirsten asked. Kassandra shook her head. “Don’t worry about it, too much.” Kirsten said. “There’s not enough here for any of us to even really get buzzed on, not splitting it four ways. If you drink it fast enough, you might start to feel a little light, but I don’t think you’re going to be pounding it.”

Kassandra nodded. 

“So,” Ava said, asserting herself as master-of-ceremonies. “Where do you want to start?” 

“I have a choice?” Annabeth asked, surprised. 

“Do you want to start with your gifts, or the movie?” 

“What movie?” Annabeth asked.

Kassandra held up a collection of DVDs. “There’s streaming, too, but these are the ones we were able to scrounge up.” 

Annabeth glanced them over.  _ 27 Dresses. The Wedding Singer. Bridesmaids. My Best Friend’s Wedding. Mamma Mia!  _ And…

“Oh, that one,” Annabeth nearly spit out her champagne. “Definitely that one.” She pointed to  _ My Big, Fat, Greek Wedding.  _

“Is Percy Greek?” Kassandra asked. “He kinda looks Mediterranean.”

“His Dad’s side,” Annabeth said. “Let’s do the movie now.”

So they put the movie on Kirsten’s computer, and they ate the strawberries and chocolates, and finished the champagne. Kirsten had been right. Splitting four ways, they’d barely had a glass and half, and Annabeth didn’t feel a thing, unlike the nearly half bottle she’s had with Rachel. 

Annabeth found her mind drifting during the movie, though it was very funny. She was fortunate she wasn’t going to have in-laws like that, though she suspected Percy was more worried about her mom than she was his dad. His dad seemed to like her, and was friendly the one or two times they’d met in person. 

She thought about the final scene, where they moved into the house next door. It reminded her of Percy’s half voiced dream of having a space for Greek demigods here in New York. As crazy as it was, and it was really crazy, she could feel the longing in it. It resonated with her, it spoke to her secret soul. She had cracked open a fresh notebook, started sketches. She planned to show them to him soon. Maybe they could talk to Chiron together. 

The credits ran, and they laughed together, poking fun at their favorite parts.

“Gifts!” Kassandra said eagerly. 

Annabeth laughed. “What on earth could you guys get me? It’s not like I’m setting up house,” she said.

“Oh, it’s not?” Kirsten said. “I was under the impression that Percy wanted to move in together when you guys got to California.”

“Well, I mean,” Annabeth stammered. “Yeah, probably,” she sighed. “And yeah, we probably will.”

“So you are setting up house,” Kirsten said reasonably. “Though I’m not sure most of this will be useful for that purpose.”

"Oh?" Annabeth said. Kassandra handed her the first gift bag. She opened it and reached in. "Oh my gods, you guys...you.." Annabeth drew out the skimpy leopard print nightgown. She laughed, and the others laughed. "What is this?"

"Kirsten told us you were updating your trousseau. We thought we'd give you a helping hand," Ava said. 

"And I'm sure Percy will appreciate it, too." Kirsten added. 

"You guys are nuts," Annabeth said. She looked at the collection of bags and boxes. "This can't all be from you guys."

"Kassandra and I may have gone a little overboard," Ava admitted sheepishly.

"What good is having a generous spending allowance if you don't spend it?" Kassandra asked rhetorically. “I never spend as much as my parents send me. Granted, I save a lot of it, but still.”

Kirsten rolled her eyes. "If it makes you feel any better, I only got you one thing. Well, one thing on my own. I chipped in on the group gift, too."

Annabeth shook her head, and reflected that Ava and Kassandra really didn't have many other friends. It was funny to think that even in their brief association, they'd made such an impact on each other. She wondered what might have been different if she'd ended up somewhere else. 

A few minutes later, she had opened all the gifts, and was surrounded by a small mountain of lingerie, including a sheer white lace teddy with matching garter belt and stockings that Kirsten said was for her wedding night. 

"What am I going to do with all of this?"

"Wear it, of course," Kirsten giggled. “At least for a little while”.

"Oh, and one more thing," Ava said.

"My gods, there's more?"

"We did get you one practical thing," Kassandra allowed. 

"Of course, that depends on your definition of practical," Kirsten pointed out. "I'd argue that all of this is very practical stuff. Underwear is a pretty practical gift." 

Ava gave her a look, but handed Annabeth a card. She opened it. There was a pretty Hallmark card inside, signed by her three friends and tucked in was a Visa gift card. "We figured you don't have any idea what you might need in California, so a gift card would be best."

Annabeth flipped it over and saw the amount. $250. She looked around at the room. "I don't know what to say anymore," she said, feeling tears threatening. "You didn't have to do all this. I can’t…”

“Aww,” Ava and Kassandra came in for a hug. Annabeth hugged them tightly. 

“Thank you,” she managed. And she stood up and hugged Kirsten. “And thank you.” She let go and looked at all of them. "You guys are amazing." For one crazy moment, Annabeth considered telling them everything. Her mom, the gods, camp, everything. Do away with the last barrier between herself and these awesome people.

But then her rational mind caught up with her, and the impulse faded into the normal fears: they’d never believe her, they’d think she was nuts, they’d pull away. 

So she said nothing, as she always did. But she loved them anyway. 

Kassandra suggested they watch another movie, so they watched 27 Dresses, and by that time, they were all yawning and Ava and Kassandra left to go back to their own rooms. Annabeth started to try and pack up her gifts. “I don’t know where I’m going to put all this stuff,” Annabeth muttered good naturedly, looking for a place to store her bounty. She packed most of it into one gift bag, and made room in the bottom of her closet. Some of the more tame stuff she kept out to wash, to add to her rotation. “I guess that will do.” She turned toward Kirsten who was taking down balloons. “You guys didn’t have to do all this,” she told her. “But, it was all amazing.”

Kirsten grinned. “It was fun. We all had fun shopping for you.”

“Well, you certainly picked out some interesting things,” Annabeth giggled. 

Kirsten snorted, and handed Annabeth the signs. “You want to keep these?” she asked.

“Yes, for now,” Annabeth took them from her. “Everything was super cute.” Annabeth took off her bride-to-be sash, and tucked it into the closet with the signs. “So, hypothetically speaking,” Annabeth said slowly. “What would you say if I said Percy and I were getting married this summer?”

“I’d say you’re nuts,” Kirsten replied. “But I already knew that. So what else is new? Are you serious?” 

“Maybe,”  Annabeth allowed. “Percy...he wants to get married. And I offered to move in together, but there’s the problem of getting an apartment, and paying for it.” Annabeth sat down on the edge of her bed. “And then I realized that if we got married…”

“You could get married student housing,” Kirsten tracked the logic. “That makes sense.” Kirsten flopped onto her bed. “Logically, anyway.”

Annabeth sat down on her own bed. “But, it’s...crazy, right?”

“Depends on how you look at it,” Kirsten shrugged. “You’re in love, and you're certain enough about it to get engaged...do you really need to wait?” 

“You sound like Percy,” Annabeth laughed. “That was his argument. Something along the lines of, life is short, why waste time?”

“Well, he’s not wrong about that,” Kirsten said, as she settled into bed. Annabeth began changing into her own pjs. 

“I suppose,” Annabeth agreed.  _ And if there’s anyone out there who knows that, it ought to be us,  _ she thought. She turned off the room overhead light. 

“So...why not? I say go for it. Nobody’s going to think you’re any crazier than you already are, and do you really care?” Kirsten grinned. “But only if I can be a bridesmaid.”

Annabeth laughed. “Well, that I can promise you, all three of you. You guys are the best. I’m so glad you’re my friends.” She crawled into bed. 

“Well, you’re not so bad yourself, girl.” Kirsten said. “You going to see Percy tomorrow?”

“No plans to yet,” Annabeth told her. “I need to start writing my speech for the dinner on Thursday. I haven’t even started yet. I have no idea what I’m going to say.”

“You’ll figure it out,” Kirsten assured her, reaching over and turning out her bedside light. 

“I hope so,” Annabeth agreed, turning off her own light.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Love it? Hate it? Email: theauthor@no2ticonderoga.com
> 
> Twitter: @no_2ticonderoga


	41. 41: Percy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so, minor thing from TON. It mentions that Sally was working on her 2nd book, but I cannot find a reference to her finishing the first one. So I kept this chapter as I originally wrote it. Which is annoying, because I looked and looked, because I thought she'd written one, but I couldn't find the reference, at all. So, I wrote it this way, thinking she hadn't, and then TON comes along... Somebody will probably tell me where it is in comments, and I'm going to feel like an idiot. 
> 
> So yeah, in this version of events, she hasn't gotten there yet. 
> 
> Enjoy!

Percy was in the middle of working on his physics review at the table when the house phone rang. “I’ll get it,” he called toward the living room.

“Hello?”

“Percy?” 

“Josh, man, what’s up?” Percy was surprised. Though he had given Josh, and the others, his apartment phone, they rarely used it.

“Hey, I’ve got tickets for the Mets game this afternoon,” he said. “My dad and I were supposed to go, but one of his congregants passed away, and he has to sit Shiva with the family for a while. You want to go?” 

Percy thought about it...he really should be studying...but he hadn’t been to a Mets game in ages. “Sure. I can meet you there,” he said. “And, hey, guess what. Annabeth made me go out on Friday and get a cell phone. I’ll give you the number, you can text me, and then we can coordinate when we get to the stadium.”

Josh sounded excited. “It’s about damn time. Hang on, I’ll write it down then text you from my number after I hang up.”

“Awesome.” Percy read him off the number, and they agreed to meet at the stadium. Then he hung up. Josh texted a moment later, and Percy programmed the number in. 

“Who was on the phone, dear?” his mom asked when Percy went to the living room. 

“It was Josh. He’s got an extra ticket for the Mets game this afternoon, I’m going to go with him,” he explained.

“Is your homework done?” she asked.

Percy nodded. “Everything that’s due tomorrow is done. I kinda should be studying for finals, but…”

“Everyone needs a break, now and then,” his mom agreed. “Have fun, and don’t get into trouble,” she told him.

“Don’t worry,” Percy promised. “I’ll be fine.” Percy went to his room and changed into a Mets t-shirt, and found his hat in the top of his closet. Then he texted Annabeth to tell her where he was off to, just in case she changed her mind about coming over. He knew she was supposed to work on her speech today. She told him to have a good time. 

Percy met Josh at the gate nearest their tickets. “Hey man,” Percy called. “Thanks for inviting me.”

“Thanks for coming along,” Josh said as they high fived. 

“Darah not want to come?” he asked.

“Darah hates baseball,” Josh replied. “But it’s all good. I’m not big on watching the Bachelor, so we’re even.” 

“Sounds good to me,” Percy shrugged. “I haven’t been to a game in  _ year _ s.”

“One of Dad’s congregants is always giving him tickets,” Josh said. “He usually takes one of us each time. He calls it ‘catch up time’. His chance to spend a little time with each of us one-on-one. Well, except for Zev, I guess, since he’s up at Brandeis, but everyone else is still in the city, what with David at the seminary, and Ari at NYU.” 

“That’s awesome. Paul and I bond over video games,” Percy added.

“Mr. Blofis plays video games?” Josh sounded surprised. 

“Oh yeah,” Percy said with a grin. “He’s good, too.” 

“Never would have guessed that,” Josh admitted, as they made their way to their seats. They turned out to be pretty good seats. They were about 10 rows back, behind the home dugout. 

Percy was impressed. “Nice!” 

“Yeah, they’re good seats,” Josh agreed, and they settled in.

They had a great time watching the game and bitching about school. Josh also vented his displeasure about losing a month of the summer to go to Israel. 

“At least I’ll be able to stay in touch,” he sighed. “I’m going to miss everybody.”

“How’s Darah taking it?” Percy asked.

“She’s okay She’s still talking about wanting me to come visit her at school next fall, so that’s a good thing.” He shrugged.

“Sounds like things are going well then,” Percy broke off to join in the general booing of the umpire.

“Yeah, it’s been amazing,” Josh admitted. “How about you and Annabeth?” Josh asked.

Percy hesitated for a moment, but decided to tell him. “I’m still trying to sell her on getting married this summer.”

“Seriously?” Josh was surprised. “I thought that was a joke.”

“No, seriously,” Percy assured him. “I’ll be 18 in August. I figure it would be the best birthday present ever.”

“Before you go to California?” 

“Yeah. Annabeth has a thought that we could get married student housing that way,” he explained.

“Well, that makes sense, if you look at it that way,” Josh allowed. “But you could just get an apartment.”

“Except then we’d have to pay rent,” Percy explained. “The student housing would be covered as part of our college costs, and not a separate expense.”

“Ah.” Josh nodded. “That makes a lot of sense, then. You could get jobs, though.”

“Annabeth...she doesn’t think I’d have the time, between school, work and swim.” 

“Still planning to keep up with it?” Josh asked.

“Yeah, I’m going to race for the college team...and I’m thinking of making a run at the Olympic trials,” he admitted.

Josh turned and looked at him in surprise. “No shit, man, really?” 

Percy nodded. “Yeah. I’ve been thinking about it since states, when those recruiters started giving me calls. But Annabeth and I talked about it for the first time last night. She thinks I should go for it.”

“Well, yeah. If any of us had that chance, it would be you. We always thought so. You should totally do it, man.” Josh punched him on the shoulder. “And be sure to mention me when they do one of those sappy, athlete profile pieces about you on TV with like Bob Costas or Tom Rinadli.” 

“Ha,” Percy said with a laugh, though it was forced. That was exactly the kind of thing that made him super nervous about trying. Did he really want to potentially put his life under a microscope? 

“Who am I kidding?” Josh scoffed. “They won’t want to know about me, they’ll just focus on Annabeth, and the fact that you’re already married. It will be a super romantic puff piece.” Josh elbowed him in the gut. “Lots of cute shots of your cozy little student apartment, with your tiny cramped kitchen, and all your school work on the table. ‘It may not look like much’,” Josh intoned in his reporter voice. “‘But they have each other, and that’s all they need.’” He gagged. 

“Cut it out,” Percy laughed.

“No, no, I can put it together for you,” Josh was warming to his topic. “It opens with a shot of your alarm clock, going off at like, 4 am, and you get up. Annabeth gives you a kiss by the door in her bathrobe as you head out to the pool. The narrator is all like. ‘Percy Jackon’s Olympic dreams start early in the day, before classes. He leaves his wife, Annabeth and heads to the pool.’ And then they cut to scenes of you swimming in an empty pool while you talk about how much she supports you, and how much you love each other. And the narrator comes back to talk about how everyone thought you were crazy to get married so young…”

“Okay, enough,” Percy groaned. “I get the point.”

Josh sighed. “I smell Emmy.”

They were distracted from this line of conversation by the baseball game, as the batter at the plate launched a ball high over the Citi Field wall. 

When they finished cheering, Josh resumed. “Well, if you do decide to get married, it better be after I get back from Israel. I wouldn’t miss it for the world.”

Percy grinned. “Wouldn’t dream of it, man.”

It was dinner time before Percy got back to his apartment. His phone was now full of contacts, since Josh had texted his number to everyone, and Annabeth’s number as well, so they were both now fully looped in. That would save him the trouble in the morning, anyway. 

“How was the game?” Paul asked.

“We won,” Percy told him. “Five to two.” 

“Hey, that’s cool. They lost last night, I heard.”

“Yeah, I checked before I went to bed. It was ooo-gly. Eleven to three, or something,” Percy sat down at the kitchen table. “Food smells amazing, mom, what is it?”

“One of the recipes Leo left me the last time he was here,” she told him. “Enchiladas.”

“Nice!” Percy took the serving tray from her as she handed it across. Though thinking of Leo did make him wonder what was going on out West. 

“That boy is quite the chef,” Paul agreed. “Though, sometimes a bit spicy.”

“I toned it down for you,” Sally assured him.

Sunday dinner was when the three of them sorted out their schedule for the week, one meal where they were reasonably certain they would all be together for, so they could plan. Annabeth often joined them, but when Percy had texted her on the way home from the game, she’d said she was still working on schoolwork.

“So, what is on everyone’s schedule for the week?” Sally asked.

“I have faculty meeting on Monday,” Paul said, wrinkling his nose. 

“And Estelle has her check up on Monday as well,” Sally added.

“We have Annabeth’s thing on Thursday,” Percy reminded them.

“I have an Assessment Committee meeting on Wednesday,” Paul groaned, looking at the calendar.

“Man, this week sucks for you,” Percy noted. “How come you have both of those meetings in the same week?”

“Because the administration can’t read a calendar,” Paul muttered under his breath, then: “Because there was no school last Monday for Memorial Day, they moved the faculty meeting back and not up.” He sighed. “I suppose it’s worth it, because they won’t do another one until after the one on the last teacher day.”

“I guess,” Percy said.

“What time are we due where on Thursday?” his mom asked.

“Six,” Percy told her. “And it’s at some restaurant. Annabeth left a note, somewhere,” he looked over at the calendar and the bulletin board, trying to find the post-it with Annabeth’s handwriting.

“I’ll find it,” Sally assured him. “What about you?” she asked him. “Other than Thursday.”

“I think we’re going to swim on Wednesday, since I’m busy Thursday,” Percy said. “But other than that...studying.” He made a face. “Finals are coming up fast.” 

“How are you feeling about them?” Paul asked.

“Ehhhh,” Percy wavered a hand in a so-so gesture. “Annabeth is helping me with physics, and the history test should be OK. English…” Percy shrugged. “I’ll make it, I hope. And then practical writing should be all right. I’ve heard the final in that class is easy. It’s been a big help though, with my essays. I wish I could have taken it two years ago, then I wouldn’t have struggled so much in American Lit.”

“Hopefully it will help you in college,” Paul said.

“I’m sure it will,” Percy agreed.

“At least you got most of the hardest classes out of the way first semester,” his mom pointed out. 

First semester had kicked his ass, and no joke. With American Lit, Chem, Marine Bio, Government/Econ,  _ and _ a makeup math class on top of the regular schedule, it had been all he could do to keep afloat, while dealing with the worst of his post-Tartarus trauma. But between Annabeth, and Doc Berger, and mom and Paul (in as much as they could, with mom being pregnant), he’d managed it, barely. He pulled a pair of Ds, (one in chem, the other in Gov/Econ), but he’d passed everything. He’d even gotten a B+ in Marine Bio (the lab write ups had killed him). 

He would probably get Bs and Cs in the classes this semester, if he could pull off the finals.

“Anything on your schedule this week?” Paul asked Sally. 

“Not really,” she said. “Just Estelle’s checkup.” 

His mom worked as a writer for a travel company, writing up newsletters and stuff, encouraging people to go on expensive vacations. It let her do a lot of her work from home, but it also had a daycare center at the office, which let her take Estelle when she needed to go in to work. It didn’t pay a super lot, but the flexibility was more than worth it. It also gave her time to work on her own writing. She’d been shopping a manuscript around for a little while now. Lot of rejections, but she hadn’t given up. 

“Do you have to go into the office this week?” Paul asked.

“For a little while on Tuesday and Thursday. I’ll be back before Percy gets home,” she replied.

“That’s good,” Paul nodded. 

"Goodness, Percy,” his mom said, looking at his plate. “You vacuumed that down. Would you like some seconds?”

“Yes, please,” Percy replied, holding out his plate.

After dinner, Percy hung out in his room, reading. Well, not reading, exactly. His Special Education case manager had suggested early in the year that Percy’s dyslexia might be alleviated in English class if he could listen to audiobook versions of the novels his class was assigned. It had been a life changing discovery, and it had made American Lit class so much easier. Likewise, he had been allowed to use audiobook versions of the books in College English, his final English graduation requirement. So, he puttered around the room, listening to his reading. It was still a struggle to stay focused, sometimes, if the book was boring, but at least he wasn’t trying to chase the words across the page. 

And it had the added bonus that he could do mindless tasks while listening. Like gathering a load of laundry, and giving his room a well needed cleaning. He thanked the gods, once again, that they had an apartment with laundry, rather than having to go to the laundromat. He also took the time to clear some extra space in his dresser, jettisoning a whole raft of clothes that he had long since grown out of. He saved the camp t-shirts, but the shorts, jeans, and a bunch of other stuff went in a donation bag. He did save his Yancy Academy shirt, though. He’d hated it, but it was where he’d met Grover and Chiron, after all. He similarly pruned his closet. When he finished he was satisfied with the result. There would be room for Annabeth to leave a few extra things here, and space for her to hang up the nice outfits she would need for her internship this summer. 

By the time this was done, Percy had finished his “reading” for almost the whole week, which meant that he was now ahead. Which meant he would have the time start working on the inevitable response paper early. He sighed.

He couldn’t wait for school to be over.

Monday actually turned out to be a relatively good day. All of his friends gave him a hard time about finally getting a phone, but they were impressed with his commitment to leaving it in his locker all day. He’d gotten called on in physics and actually knew the answer, and English wasn’t painful, since he’d read the book. And he was right, the teacher had assigned a response paper. He checked his phone at lunch, and Annabeth texted that she was coming over to study that afternoon. Mr. Adams’ class had gone well, too. So Percy was feeling pretty good by the time he got home. The only downside was the announcement that they would have a quiz the next day in physics, so it was the first thing he dug out to study when he got home. He was studying when he heard the door open. 

“Hey!” Annabeth called.

“In the living room,” he said. She entered a moment later. She’d come straight from school, wearing her uniform.

“Where’s your mom?” he asked.

“Estelle had a doctor’s appointment. She just left.”

“Where’s Paul?” she asked.

“School. Faculty meeting.”

“Oh.” She tossed her bookbag on the floor by the couch. “So they won’t be home for a while.”

“Nah.” Percy was trying to focus on his textbook. This quiz was going to be hard. 

“I’ll be right back.” 

“Kay,” he said. 

Annabeth disappeared down the hall, Percy figured she’d gone to the bathroom. He returned his attention to his book. “Oh fiancé…” she called a few moments later.

He turned, and his mouth went dry. She was standing just at the end of the couch. She’d unbuttoned the top two buttons on her uniform shirt, so that her bra showed. She’d unbuttoned the bottom part, and tied the ends up, revealing her midriff. And her skirt seemed shorter. He realized that she’d rolled the waistband up. Blood was rushing out of his brain and going...elsewhere. “Hello,” he said, his voice dropping an octave or two. She grinned at him walking around the coach. 

“I bet this checks a few daydream fantasy boxes,” she purred, modeling her outfit for him.

“Does it ever,” he replied.

“Well, I won’t have to wear it much longer,” she pointed out. “Might as well get some use out of the uniform while I still can.” She turned down the hallway toward his room. “You coming?” she called over her shoulder.

It was a while before he got any more studying done. 

They were however, dressed and presentable and studying at the kitchen table when his mom got home with Estelle. 

“Hey, kids,” Mom called, setting Estelle’s carrier down on the floor, to unsling her purse and the diaper bag.

“Hey, Mom.” He stepped over to relieve her of the diaper bag, and help her with the stuff.

Annabeth was already unstrapping Estelle from her carrier. “Hey, there, big girl,” she cooed at his baby sister. “How was the doctors?”

“She’s fine, Annabeth, just a checkup.”

“I know.” Annabeth noticed a bandaid. “Oh, did you get a shot?” she tsked at her. “I’ll kiss it better.” She made good her words.

“She barely noticed,” Sally said, bemused. “Here, I know you won’t be satisfied until you get the full report.” She handed Annabeth the printout from the doctor’s office. “She’s meeting all her growth targets, and all of her age appropriate development milestones,” she summarized for Percy.

“She’s the best little sister ever,” Percy declared.

“Mm...I hope you still feel that way when we have to give her your room,” Sally said with a grin. “She can’t stay in the crib in our room forever.”

“Well, yes,” Percy admitted. “But that’s…” he paused, arrested.

“Not as far away as you think,” Sally pointed out. “Probably before you finish college.”

Percy glanced at Annabeth who was holding Estelle. She grinned at him, and mouthed  _ Especially if you want more younger siblings  _ at him _.  _ Then she stuck out her tongue at him. He tried to ignore her. “But...where will I stay when I’m home?” he asked, trying not to think about his fiancée’s insinuations. 

Sally sighed. “You and Annabeth will have to figure that out. Maybe you can stay full time in California.”

“And miss seeing you guys?” Percy was gutted. But he knew that she was right about Estelle.

“We can probably stay with Rachel,” Annabeth pointed out. “She’s going to be getting her own apartment to go to NYU. I’m sure she’ll have space for us, when we’re in the city. And we’ll be at camp part of the time, too.” 

That thought cheered him immensely. “That’s true.” Rachel would happily put them up, and in fact, Percy or Annabeth had but to mention the possibility, and she’d probably insist on getting her dad to get her a 2 bedroom apartment, if she wasn’t planning on it already.

“See, it will work out,” Sally agreed. “Now, go wash your hands. You can help me peel the potatoes for dinner.”

“Yes, mom.” Percy went to the sink to wash.

“Are you ready for Thursday, dearie?” Sally asked Annabeth. “Is your speech all set?”

“Um...it’s...getting there.” Percy turned toward her. He knew that tone of voice. Annabeth didn’t use it often. He could also tell when she wasn’t quite telling the whole truth. She was smiling, but it didn’t reach her eyes.

“Do you need one of us to look at it for you? I’m sure Paul…”

“No,” Annabeth said quickly. “I’ve got it, it’s okay.”

Percy stared at her, and she looked back at him when Sally turned away from her, her look clearly said,  _ change the subject, I don’t want to talk about it, and yes, that means you too. _

“How was class today?” he asked quickly, drawing a grateful look from his fiancée. She blew him a kiss before answering. 

“It was good, I really enjoyed chem today…”

After dinner, they sat on his bed together, looking at homework. “I know I’m not supposed to ask,” Percy began. “But…”

Annabeth’s eyes flashed with annoyance, which told him quite a bit about her state of mind. “I don’t want to talk about it,” she snapped.

“Okay, okay,” he soothed. “Just...know that you’re going to kick ass.”

He was rewarded with a slight softening around her eyes. “It just...I have no idea what to say,” she admitted.

“You’ll figure it out. I have faith in you.” He stroked her arm. “I’ll stop now.”

“Thank you,” she said, sounding relieved. “Sorry I snapped.”

“It’s forgotten,” he assured her, smiling. He turned back to his physics. “Can you explain this problem to me?”

She peered over his shoulder. “Oh, sure,” she assured him. “Here, can you grab me a pencil?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Like it, hate it? Email: TheAuthor@no2ticonderoga.com
> 
> Twitter: No_2Ticonderoga


	42. 42: Annabeth

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter made me laugh while I was writing it. I hope it makes you laugh too!

_...and I would not be here, today if it were not for the… _

Annabeth let her head fall to the keyboard in frustration, groaning. The dinner was two nights away, and her speech was no closer to being finished than it was when she started. 

"You okay?" Kirsten asked, looking up from the book she was reading on her bed.

"My speech." Annabeth said from the depths of her keyboard.

"Ah. Still struggling with it?"

"Yes," she ground out.  _ If by struggling you mean, I've thrown out five drafts, not counting the one where I said 'screw it' and talked about Percy falling into Tartarus with me… _ She was going to save that one, though, to show to him someday, or maybe use part for a wedding vow, or something. She liked that one. It was the only one she  _ did _ like. 

“Where are you stuck?” Kirsten asked.

“The start. And the middle. Oh, and the end, too,” Annabeth explained.

Kirsten laughed. “Okay, well, then, let’s start at the beginning.” She put down the book and sat up. “Get away from that computer for a minute, come sit.” She patted the spot next to her on the bed.

Reluctantly, Annabeth got up from her computer. She flopped down next to Kirsten. Kirsten reached over to the night table and grabbed a brush. She began to brush out Annabeth’s hair. “I’m going to braid this for you, okay?” Annabeth nodded. “So, the thing to do is to first decide what you want to say.”

“Well,” Annabeth took a breath. “It’s supposed to be about our achievements, right? Reflecting on our journey to the top 10? People who have influenced you, that sort of thing, right?”

“Mm,” Kirsten murmured. “So, who’s influenced you?”

Annabeth thought about that one. There were so many. Her dad, in his own way. Thalia. Chiron. Percy, obviously. Sally.  _ Even Luke, in his own way,  _ she thought. “I...I’m not sure. There are so many people.”

“Okay,” Kirsten said, drawing the brush through her hair. “Can you narrow it down?” she asked. 

_ Sure, but then we’re back to the version I can’t give.  _ “I’m...not sure.”

“What about a theme?” Kirsten asked, as she began to part Annabeth’s hair. “Could you frame it around a theme?”

Annabeth thought about that one. “Like, what do you mean?”

“Like, growing up, or, family.”

Annabeth wrinkled her nose.  _ Family _ . Well, of course, that depended on how you defined it. She’d thought she’d had a family once. Granted, she’d gotten Thalia back, then lost her, sort of, to the Hunters. And she had Percy of course. But that just didn’t seem to fit. Not quite, anyway. 

“What about building something? Ooh, that’s a good one! You’re an architect. You could talk about building.” 

_ Building.  _ “Something permanent,” she whispered. How many times had they talked about that? In the depths of Tartarus. On the Argo II after they had escaped. Going all the way back to the battle with Kronos. 

“What was that?” Kirsten asked.

Annabeth tried to sit up, but squawked and fell backwards as she realized that Kirsten still had her hair in her hands. “Ow.”

“Warn me before you’re going to get up. You’re stuck here for another minute,” Kirsten told her. Expert fingers twisted hair. Annabeth sat as patiently as she could till she heard the snap of the hair tie going into place. 

“Thank you,” she breathed as she jumped up and went to her computer. 

“Glad I could help,” Kirsten said, but it barely registered as the words began to flow to the keyboard. 

Sometime later, Annabeth sat back from her keyboard. There were tears leaking from the corners of her eyes. “Done.”

But there was no response from Kirsten, she had gone to bed. Annabeth looked at her screen, sighed, and hit print. The little inkjet that she and Kirsten shared wheezed. It was on its last legs, but it only needed to make it another few weeks. Her speech slid out. Who could she get to proofread it? she wondered. Most of the people she would usually turn to were out.  _ Maybe… _ she nodded and put the pages in a manila folder and tucked them in her bag. Then she got ready for bed.

The next morning, she was up early, well before class was scheduled to begin. She grabbed a quick breakfast from the caf - a blueberry muffin and a bottled smoothie drink - and headed to the classroom building that housed the English department. 

There weren’t any students in the room yet, so she knocked tentatively on the classroom door frame. “Mr. Tomlinson?” 

Mr. Tomlinson looked up from his desk. “Annabeth! What brings you here?”

Mr. Tomlinson had been Annabeth’s junior year American Literature teacher. He was on the younger side, still full of enthusiasm for his craft. He was a Broadway nut, and clearly over the moon to be living and working in New York City. Annabeth had enjoyed his class immensely, even though it had taken her through the most difficult part of her life, while Percy was missing.

“Hi, Mr. Tomlinson,” she said, “I was wondering if you could do me a favor.”

“What’s up?” he asked. 

She rummaged in her bag, and pulled out her file folder. “I had to write a speech for Top Ten Dinner,” she explained. “Would you look at it for me?” she asked.

“Absolutely,” he agreed. “Can you swing by and grab it at the end of the day?”

“Of course,” she replied. “Thank you!” 

“Not a problem.” He looked at her critically. “I’ve heard good things about you this year,” he said. “Everything going better for you?” 

She had been pretty much a wreck for a lot of his class, and her papers had tended toward the dark and heavy. He’d pulled her aside to share his concern for her, and she’d explained that she had family stuff going on. He’d accepted that at face value anyway. “Much better this year, thank you.” 

“I heard a rumor,” he began slowly. 

She grinned, and held out her left hand. “Yes, it’s true.” 

He nodded. “Very nice,” he observed. “Congratulations.”

“Thank you.” She nodded. 

“Have you, ahh, set a date?” he asked.

She shook her head. “No. Percy’s pushing for sooner, but we haven’t decided yet.” She glanced at the clock. “I have to get back over to the science building. I’ll drop by after class. Thank you, Mr. Tomlinson!” 

“See you later, Annabeth,” he called after her as she left the building.

The day felt like it dragged on forever, but eventually, the last bell of the day went off. Annabeth made an excuse to Ava before crossing campus from the math/science building back to humanities. Mr. Tomlinson had a student with him when she arrived, so she lurked in the doorway while he attempted to explain the symbolism of the eyes of Dr. T.J. Eckleburg. The girl, a junior that Annabeth recognized slightly, she thought her name was Abby, finally left and Mr. Tomlinson saw her. 

"Annabeth, come in, come in," he waved her in. He rummaged through his stacks of papers before coming up with her speech. "So, first of all...wow." He held up the speech. "This is brilliant."

Annabeth felt herself blush deeply. "Do you really think so?"

"Inspiring. I...I don't know how you're going to get through it tomorrow night. It's...raw,” he said. “I wish I was going to be there to see it.” 

“You think it’s okay then?” she asked. She leaned on the edge of one of the front row desks.

“I made a few grammatical corrections, and a few typos.” He offered her the pages. “There were a couple of spots where your pronouns got a little muddled. I made some notations.”

She took the pages. “Thank you.”

“Good luck tomorrow night,” he said. 

“I’m nervous. I don’t do a lot of public speaking,” she admitted. 

“You’ll be fine. Just focus on what you want to say. And try and pick a point about midway to the back of the room, not necessarily at any one person, and talk to that point,” he suggested. “And don’t panic.” He grinned.

Annabeth grinned back, “Good advice, thanks, Mr. Tomlinson.”

“Anytime,” he smiled, and Annabeth left. She took her speech back to her room, and reviewed the corrections that Mr. Tomlinson had made. She made the edits, considered a few of his suggestions, and rearranged the pronouns, as he had suggested. Satisfied, she printed a clean copy, and put it in a file folder, and then tucked it away. Then she texted Percy.

_ Free for dinner tonight? _

His response came quickly.  _ 👍 i’m @ Y now text u when i’m don 💖 you 😘 _

She smiled, and texted back.  _ Love you too 😘 _

There was a knock at the door, Annabeth turned. It was Ava. “Come on in,” she waved. 

“Hey.” Ava took a seat on the beanbag chair. “Did you finish your speech?” she asked.

“Just now,” Annabeth held up the printed pages. “You?”

“Almost,” she said. “I’m struggling with the ending. I want to make sure it's different from my graduation speech.” 

“Better you than me,” Annabeth told her. Ava snorted. “So what’s up?” 

“I don’t know,” Ava whined. “I feel all at sixes and sevens.” She changed positions on the bean bag. “I want to focus, but I can’t sit still. I want to go places, but when I get there, I want to leave.” 

“Do you want to get dinner?” Annabeth asked. “I’m supposed to be meeting Percy, after he gets out of swim, but we can connect later, if you want to get out of the dorm for a while.”

“I don’t want to mess up you and Percy’s date,” Ava protested. 

“It’s not a date, it’s just meeting for dinner. We do that, like, every day. You could come along if you like,” she grinned. “Want me to text Percy and ask him to bring one of his single friends?”

“Don’t you dare,” Ava warned, but she laughed. 

“Seriously, though, do you want to get out of here? We could grab the others, Percy could meet us wherever we were.”

Ava wavered. “That does sound good…”

Annabeth picked up her phone and began texting. “Let’s go get pizza,” she said. “It beats whatever the dining hall is serving.”

And so, that’s how they ended up at Annabeth and Percy’s favorite’s pizza joint. They crammed into a booth, around a veggie supreme. She’d texted Percy to let him know where she was, but he hadn’t answered of course, since his phone was probably in the locker at the Y. 

“This was a good idea,” Ava admitted, as she took another slice. “It feels good to get out of the dorm for a few minutes.”

“Hopefully it will help clear your head for tomorrow,” Kassandra said, as she took a swig of her Pepsi. 

“Hopefully,” Ava agreed. 

“When are you going to let us see your speeches?” Kirsten asked.

“After I give it,” Annabeth said. “I’ll let you see the copy.” Ava nodded agreement with this. 

“What are you going to talk about?” Kassandra asked.

“Building,” Annabeth said. 

“Building what?” Ava asked.

“Families,” she replied. “Not, like, having kids, but building families.”

“That’s cool,” Kirsten noted. “That sounds like it could be good.”

“I hope so.” Annabeth’s phone pinged and she checked it. “Percy says he’s on his way.” 

“I thought swim season was over,” Kassandra frowned.

“He’s going to swim in college. He’s staying in training, or trying to. He tries to get in the pool at least once a week. I’m hoping we can get that up once school gets out.”

“He’s really good, isn’t he?” Ava asked. “Like, could be famous good.”

“Maybe,” Annabeth said judiciously. “He needs to train more. He’s...getting serious about trying to take it to the next level.” 

“Like, professional swimming? Is that a thing?” Kassandra asked.

“No, dummy,” Kirsten rolled her eyes. “The Olympics.”

“No way!" Ava exclaimed. “Really?”

“Maybe,” Annabeth allowed. “He’s thinking about it. We’d have a lot of work ahead of us if we wanted to make a run for it.” She slid out of the bench. “I’m going to go order Percy’s food so it’s ready when he gets here.”

When she got back to the table, the other girls were discussing their upcoming finals. Annabeth joined in, and a few minutes later, Percy came in. She waved him over.

“Hey, Wise Girl,” he grinned, pulling a chair to the end of the booth. He smelled like chlorine, and his hair was plastered to his head. His Goode High Swim t-shirt was wet in places where he hadn’t quite dried off well enough and it was tight against his skin.  _ That couldn't have been Percy's shirt, he must have grabbed Josh's by mistake, it was way too tight… _ It wouldn't be the first time he'd come home with someone else's clothes. He'd once stolen a hoodie from the pool lost and found that didn't even belong to his school. Annabeth felt the heat rise into her face as he leaned in for a kiss. 

“Hey,” she stammered. “I ordered your food for you.”

“Oh, awesome,” he said. “What’s the number?”

“64.” She handed him the slip.

“Great. I’ll be back in a minute. Watch my bag?” He didn’t wait for a response, but got up and went to the counter. 

The girls all looked at Annabeth.

“Oh. My. God.” Kirsten was fanning herself.

“How is it that you’ve only just started sleeping together?” Ava asked.

“Seriously,” Kassandra agreed. “Like, he is so hot right now.”

“That hair.”

“Those  _ abs _ .”

“And did you see those arms? They barely fit through his t-shirt.”

“Okay, enough,” Annabeth grumbled. “Stop thirsting on my fiancé.” Percy would either be embarrassed or insufferable if he came back and overheard any of this.

“Like, is this what he looks like all the time?” Ava asked.

“Or when you do that sword fighting thing?” Kassandra asked. 

Annabeth couldn’t resist at least one little plug. After all, what good was having a super hot fiancé if she couldn’t brag a little? “You should see him in his swimsuit for racing.” 

She thought their eyes were going to cross.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Love it? Hate it? Email: TheAuthor@no2ticonderoga.com
> 
> Twitter: @no_2Ticonderoga


	43. 43: Percy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun story: I rewrote Annabeth's speech three times!
> 
> I'm currently drafting chapter 52, so I'm now less than 10 chapters behind! So exciting!
> 
> Thanks for everyone who's been reading! I'm blown away by how many of you keep coming back to read, and leave comments and everything. This started as a lockdown project to help keep me from going insane, and really took a life of it's own. I've enjoyed connecting with all of you. It's been like a great revisiting of the old days, back when I used to write a lot of HP fic. And this has certainly helped me rediscover my love of writing. And nowadays, it's helping me manage the stress of being back at work in these nutso times. I always get a little thrill when I see the email notification about a comment. It gets me through the day. So, thanks everyone!

Percy tugged at his tie uncomfortably as they arrived at the restaurant. His mother had insisted he wear the jacket and tie, though he’d argued for a polo shirt. He’d lost the argument.

Annabeth met them there. She was wearing a flowered dress that Percy had always liked, and strappy silver heels. She hugged him and kissed him. Then she hugged his mom, and then greeted Paul, who brought up the rear, carrying Estelle in her carrier. She made kissy faces at Estelle, who was asleep. “Thank you all for coming,” she said, as she led them into the restaurant. 

“We wouldn’t have missed it, dear,” his mom told her. “This is a special night for you.”

“I’m nervous,” she admitted. “I’ve never spoken to an audience this large before.” 

“You’ll do fine,” Paul assured her. 

They followed the crowd that flowed into the restaurants’ function room. There were students meeting the groups that came in. Annabeth explained in a whisper. “Juniors, in the National Honors Society.” 

“Good evening.” their greeter said. “I’ll show you to your table.” She must have recognized Annabeth, because she didn’t ask their name. She took them to a table, and checked her list. “Here we are,” she said. It was a round table, with Annabeth’s name on a little card in the middle of it. There were six chairs around the table, and a high chair for Estelle, though Percy doubted she’d need it. Mom had fed her before they left, and she would hopefully sleep through most of the dinner. 

“Oh, there’s an extra chair,” Sally noted with a frown, counting heads. “Shouldn’t there just be one, for your teacher, Annabeth?”

Annabeth looked at the table, and counted the chairs, and looked confused. She looked at their guide.

Percy noticed the glazed look that came over the face of their guide, as she checked her list. “No, I have everyone accounted for. Enjoy the evening!”

Percy did the same mental count around the table, and looked at Annabeth. “Mom,” he began warily. “You and Paul can sit over there. I’m going to sit here.”  _ As far away from that seat as possible. _

“Percy, what are you…?” his mom started, but Annabeth was staring at him in dawning realization, and shaking her head like  _ no way _ . But they were interrupted by the arrival of Annabeth’s teacher, Dr. Campbell. Annabeth introduced them.

“Dr. Campbell, thank you for being here tonight. This is my fiancé, Percy,” she gestured around their little circle, “And his parents, Sally and Paul, and his little sister, Estelle.”

“It’s so nice to meet all of you,” she said brightly. She shook hands with everyone, introducing herself as Elizabeth to his mom and Paul. 

Much to Percy’s dismay, the table arrangements got jumbled with her arrival, and she was placed between Paul and Annabeth, with the high chair between his mom and Paul, which put Percy and his mom on either side of the empty chair.

_ Oh, Styx... _ he thought.

Annabeth caught him eyeing the chair warily, and she squeezed his hand. She shook her head as if to deny what he was thinking.

Dr. Campbell struck up a conversation with Annabeth about the class she taught, which Paul quickly joined into. This left Percy a bit left out.

"Are you okay, Percy?” his mom asked. “You look a little uncomfortable.”

He glanced at the empty chair. He decided not to inflict his worry on his mother. “Nah, I’m fine,” he replied with more assurance than he felt. “How was work today?”

“It was good,” she told him. “I got a lot done, Estelle took a long nap this morning. But after she got up, it was harder. She was very active today. I’m hoping she wore herself out, since she skipped her afternoon snooze. Maybe she’ll sleep through dinner.”

“That would be nice.” Percy looked around for the food. “I wonder what they’re serving?” 

“And what are you going to do at school, Percy?” He was abruptly aware that Dr. Campbell was trying to draw him into the conversation. 

“Um. Marine Biology. I think,” he stammered. 

“Percy would major in swimming, if they let him,” Annabeth squeezed his hand. “So this is probably the next best thing.”

“You like to swim?” she asked.

“Yes,” Percy answered. “I’m on the swim team at Goode.”

“Percy set a couple of records at the state swim finals,” Paul explained. “We’re very proud of him.” Paul beamed. 

Percy blushed. It always got him when Paul said things like that. He didn’t have to, after all, he wasn’t Percy’s dad. Which made it all the more impactful when he did, because Percy knew he chose to be those things. 

Dr. Campbell had wide eyes. “State records, that’s impressive.”

“Thank you,” Percy managed. 

“How did the two of you meet?” she asked.

Percy and Annabeth exchanged a wry look. “That’s kind of a long story. But we’ve known each other since we were, like, twelve.”

Dr. Campbell raised her eyebrows. “That’s a long time. Longer than I would have guessed.”

They were saved from further probing by the arrival of food, which turned out to be pasta. Percy was pleased, because the helpings were, well, if not filling for him, at least adequate. Not like it had been at her prom. 

As dinner wound down, one of the Deans at Annabeth’s school took the podium to welcome everyone, and explain the tradition of recognizing the school’s top 10 graduates. Each student would be introduced by a teacher who had made a difference for them, and then the student would give a little speech of their own. They would be beginning with the graduate at #10, and working their way down to the valedictorian.

“Where are you?” Percy asked Annabeth in an undervoice. 

“Six,” she replied.

Desert was served just before the first set of speakers got going. Predictably, it was cheesecake. Annabeth took like, three bites, and slid the rest over to Percy, who polished it off along with his own.

Percy tried very hard to at least  _ look _ attentive during the first four speakers. It wasn’t easy, since he had no idea who these people were. He’d seen Annabeth’s friend Ava earlier, across the room, with her parents at another table. Annabeth had told him she was second in the class, and would be speaking after her. He really did try and pay attention. He at least managed not to embarrass himself by being obviously bored, though Annabeth did pat his arm in sympathy once or twice. He was clearly not fooling her, anyway. 

Finally, it was Annabeth’s turn. During the applause for speaker number seven, she took a deep breath and rose from her chair. Percy caught her hand, and squeezed it tightly. “You’re going to do great,” he told her. 

“You’ll be fine, dear,” his Mom assured her. Paul gave her a thumbs up. She nodded at them, then followed Dr. Campbell toward the front of the room. 

“Our next presenter is the head of our Chemistry department, Dr. Elizabeth Campbell,” the Dean intoned as the applause died down. 

Dr. Campbell stepped up to the podium. “Good evening,” she said. “It’s a pleasure to be here tonight, to introduce a most remarkable student. Annabeth Chase has been a student in my Advanced Placement Chemistry class this year, and I had the pleasure of having her last year in honors chemistry. I have very rarely seen someone with such an agile mind and an innate grasp of the higher concepts. I look forward very much to the time when she will stay after class, to ask me questions about things we don’t even cover, or just to chat, or to show me her latest sketch. I can already see that she is a talented architect, a craft she plans to pursue in college. She’s already off to an excellent start, landing a coveted internship at Jacobs and Timlin for this summer. She has an eye for form and function, and has supplemented this talent with hard work and determination. She is a young woman with passion and ambition. She is also kind, and caring, as I have observed in my class, as she goes out of her way to help her classmates reach for understanding. I am very proud of her, and will be very sorry to see her go this year. It is my pleasure, therefore to introduce to you, this year’s number six graduate, Annabeth Chase.”

There was polite applause, and then Annabeth stepped up to the mic. It happened in the moment between when Annabeth arrived at the mic and when she took her breath, almost between one blink and the next. Percy had been expecting it, but he jumped anyway.

She looked exactly as Annabeth would, if she was brunette. She was dressed in a sharp grey business suit, and joined in the polite applause. 

Percy’s eyes flicked to his mom and Paul. Mom was clearly surprised, but she held it in. Paul looked more wild eyed, and his mouth was hanging open. But his mom squeezed his arm, and redirected his attention to Annabeth.

“My lady,” Percy whispered. “Thank you for coming. Annabeth will be pleased.”

Athena gave him a glance and nodded sharply, then returned her attention to Annabeth.

“Thank you, Dr. Campbell,” Annabeth began. “It’s been a pleasure to be in your class, and I thank you for all that you’ve done for me.” She glanced to the side, at her teacher, then turned her attention to the audience. She took a deep breath and then began. “Good evening. First, I want to take this opportunity to thank all of the faculty at the Forester School, for supporting me while I’ve been here. I’d also like to congratulate all the other members of the top 10 here tonight. We’ve all worked ever hard, and we’ve earned this.

“The instructions for tonight’s speech were ‘talk about your journey to the top 10’. I struggled with what to say this evening, but my roommate, Kirsten, reminded me that as an architect, I should talk about building things.

“So that’s exactly what I’m going to do. My fiancé, Percy,” here she glanced at him. Whether she noticed her mom sitting next to him, Percy was unsure, but she didn’t react if she did. A ripple of murmur ran through the room at the word ‘fiancé’, but it quickly passed. “And I, often talk about building  _ something permanent. _ When we were younger, to me, that meant building a monument to last for a thousand years, or something. But now, I realize it means something else.

“People who know me know that I did not always have the best of relationships with my parents, either my father, or my step mother. But what many do not know is that,” Annabeth paused, and took another breath, then charged forward. “Is that I spent some time as a child as a runaway. I left home after a fight with my stepmother, and did not go home for a long time. It was rash, and dangerous, and I was...very scared.” If the audience’s attention had been at all divided before, that was gone now. Percy realized Annabeth had riveted the attention of every person in the room. Annabeth seemed to realize this as well, and she quailed a little, but as Percy watched, she collected herself to forge onward. “But I was fortunate in my misfortunes. Because I found a family while I was away from my own. That was something I hadn’t realized before. Families are something that you can build anytime, or any place. The requirements aren’t as strict as I thought as a small child. You don’t actually have to share blood with someone, to be a family. And those people I met on the road, they had built a family, which I became a part of. It was my first experience in being a part of building something permanent, though I didn’t know it then. These people took me in, made me a part of their family, took care of me, and protected me. There were three of us then. Today, there are only two,” Annabeth’s breath hitched a little. “And while I don’t see her as often as I’d like, she is still the sister of my heart.

“I did eventually reconcile with my dad, but I spent my summers at camp, which is where I met Percy. I would say at first we didn’t always get along. I thought he was irresponsible and impulsive, and he thought I was stuck up and insufferable.” She paused here as the crowd tittered. “Not much has really changed.” This time there was outright laughter, including from his mom, which Percy would have resented more if it wasn’t mostly true. “But we grew up. And we grew together. And, without realizing it, we began building a family of our own. The dear friends we shared became our shared family. A family that has withstood fire and flood and so many other hard times. That family has grown, as we constructed it. It grew in unexpected places and ways. But it was ours, and we faced things together. And even when...when,” she swallowed, and swiped at her eyes. “When we lost members of that family, we were there for each other, to help each other, and support each other.” She took another breath, to clear her voice, and Percy felt a lump in his throat. She pushed on. “Together, Percy and I, we had built something permanent. My  _ something permanent _ is Percy. And Sally. And Paul. And Estelle. And Grover. And Tyson. And Jason, Piper, Leo, Hazel and Frank, and so many others. 

“And I thought I was blessed beyond measure with those people. That despite our trials and tribulations, I couldn’t be fortunate enough to have  _ more _ good fortune. That I must have used up my quota of karma when Percy and his family, and our camp friends came into my life. 

“But when I got to Forester School, I made another amazing discovery. I discovered you can build more than one family. And so my Forester family is built on people like my roommate, Kirsten, who has been more supportive to me than she’ll ever know. And Ava, who you’ll hear from later, who is more like a sister than she could understand. And Kassandra. And teachers, like Dr. Campbell. A family that I know I won’t ever forget, or lose contact with. 

“And so, when I think about my journey, that brought me to this place, I think of all the things I’ve built in my life. Family might not be a great temple, of marble or granite, but it’s solid, and supportive, like a well built foundation. And always there. Strong, and reliable. So, someday, when I look back on my career, which will hopefully take me to the highest pinnacles of my chosen profession, no matter what else I build in my life, I will be able to say that I  _ did _ build something permanent. I built families. And that is the greatest thing any builder can aspire to. More than a skyscraper. More than a monument. Even more than a temple.” And Percy knew that Annabeth had seen her then, because she looked right at her mom. “Someday, I hope that they know me as  _ Annabeth Jackson, builder of families. _ ”

She stepped back from the podium, and Percy began to clap, along with the rest of the audience. It might have been Percy's imagination, but the applause seemed less perfunctory than the previous speakers. He looked over at his mom, and she was wiping a tear from her eye. 

Dr. Campbell gave Annabeth a hug and they started back towards the table. The dean got up to announce the next speaker, but the sound system gave a horrible screech and then cut off. The dean and a flunky began checking wires and controls. A low buzz of conversation began in the room.

"Hi...Mom," Annabeth said as she reached the table.

"You have made me very proud, Annabeth," Athena told her. 

"Dr. Campbell, this is my mom, Athena," Annabeth introduced the goddess of wisdom. 

"Oh, what a lovely name. I didn't know you were coming tonight. Annabeth said only that her fiancé's family was coming." Dr. Campbell said, sounding pleased.

"I did not know if I would be able to be here," Athena replied. "I did not wish to cause disappointment." She turned and looked at Percy for a long moment. Then she sighed. "You continue to defy my expectations, Percy Jackson.” She turned away from him to focus on Annabeth. “I cannot stay. But I wished to be here today to let you know how proud I am of you.” She paused. “I will not attend your graduation ceremony. I fear my presence would...be a distraction...for Frederick, from your accomplishments.” 

“I understand,” Annabeth nodded. She seemed a little relieved. “And thank you.” 

“You have done well, Annabeth, in building your family. I predict you will build a great many things before you are done.” She paused once again. “Be strong, my daughter. Your strength will be needed.”

“Mother, what…?” 

But she was gone, again between blinks of an eye. The sound system came back online instantly, and the Dean smiled, and began the introduction of the next speaker. Percy looked at Dr. Campbell, who had that Mist glazed look on her face. “She had to go to a business meeting,” Percy supplied.

“Oh, well that’s too bad,” Dr. Campbell observed sadly. “I was looking forward to chatting with her.”

But the next speaker started, which precluded further conversation. Percy caught Annabeth’s eye, and mouthed  _ I love you  _ at her, but she still looked troubled over what her mother had said.

Ava’s speech was good, but Percy still thought Annabeth’s was the best of the night. He was probably biased, though. When the speeches were over, they were able to take some pictures with Dr. Campbell, and with Ava, who came running over to hug Annabeth tightly. Percy managed to avoid getting drawn into conversation too deeply with her parents. After Ava, he finally got the chance to be in some pictures with Annabeth. 

“So, does that mean you’ve made a decision?” he asked as they posed.

“Maybe,” she allowed. “I mean, I realized that I’m more a Jackson than I ever really was a Chase.” 

“Well, I suppose that’s true.” He paused. “We could do Jackson-Chase, or Chase-Jackson. If we’re building our own family.”

“We can think about it,” Annabeth temporized, as his mother scolded them for not smiling. After what seemed an eternity, they finally headed out. Annabeth was headed back to the dorms, Percy back to his house.

“You want to come over this weekend?” Percy asked as they were walking out.

“To spend the night?” she asked.

“Sure, if you want,” Percy said hopefully. 

“I’ll think about it. I’ll text tomorrow,” she promised. “I have a lot of work to do, and you, Seaweed Brain, are very distracting.” She turned into him and leaned in for a kiss. 

“Mmmmm. Well, speak for yourself, Wise Girl,” he kissed her back. 

“Annabeth!” Ava called. “You want a ride back to the dorm?” She was standing by a black Lincoln SUV. 

“Be right there!” Annabeth called back. She looked at Percy, face growing troubled. “What do you think Mom meant, by ‘be strong’?” 

Percy furrowed his brow. “I don’t know,” he said worriedly. “But I’m starting to get worried. We should try Jason and Piper again this weekend.” 

“And Grover and Tyson,” Annabeth added. 

“We can do that tomorrow night, even if you don’t stay over,” Percy promised. “I’ll dig up some more drachmas.”

“I have some too, I’ll bring them.” She hugged him tightly. “Be safe, I love you.”

“Love you, too.” he said, and she turned to go. He watched her climb into the SUV with Ava, and then turned to find his mom and Paul standing by the curb, Paul carrying Estelle’s carrier and still burbling. 

“A goddess! I sat at the same table as a goddess! The goddess of wisdom!”

“Yes, dear,” Sally soothed. “It’s fine. You’ve met Percy’s dad, too, remember.”

Percy grinned.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Love it? Hate it? Want to chat? Email: TheAuthor@no2ticonderoga.com
> 
> Twitter: @no_2ticonderoga


	44. 44: Annabeth

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one's a little short, but it's important for setting up some future stuff. Hope to get another one out in a day or so.

Annabeth climbed into the SUV with Ava. It was luxuriously appointed, with leather seats, and very roomy.

"Thank you for the ride," Annabeth told Ava’s parents.. 

"You're quite welcome," Ava's father, who was driving, replied. "Your speech was very impressive, young lady."

Annabeth blushed. "Thank you, Mr. Cunningham.”

"Best one of the night," Ava agreed.

"It was certainly the most...personal," Mrs. Cunningham said carefully. “That must have been a terrible ordeal for you. How old were you?”

“Twelve.” She felt bad telling people she’d run away at seven. It made her dad look even worse, and he didn’t  _ really  _ deserve that. “I was in a bad place, and not getting along with my step-mom.”

Mrs. Cunningham sighed. “It’s such a difficult age for girls. I remember when Ava was twelve…”

“Mom,” Ava protested.

“That’s enough dear,” her father interrupted his wife gently. “Ava tells us your father is a history professor. Does he write books?”

“Yes,” Annabeth affirmed, glad of the change of subject. “He’s written several on the First World War.”

“Frederick Chase?” Mr. Cunningham said in surprise.

It was Annabeth’s turn to be surprised. “Yes.” 

“Why, I’ve read some of them. Excellent work your father does. Very readable.” Mr. Cunningham nodded. 

Annabeth felt herself blush a little in spite of herself. “Thank you, sir. I’ll be sure and tell him. I imagine you’ll get a chance to meet him at graduation.”

“That would be excellent,” Mr. Cunningham sounded very pleased. “I’d love to talk to him about some of his research.”. 

“Ava has told us a lot about you,” It was Mrs. Cunningham’s turn to change the subject. “I’m so happy that you and she have become such good friends.”

“Indeed,” Mr. Cunningham added. “It’s been good for her.” Annabeth glanced at Ava, who was blushing and rolling her eyes at the same time.

“We’re going to take you all out to dinner tomorrow,” Mrs. Cunningham announced. “We’re staying in town a few more days before we head back to the Hamptons. And we’d like to get to know you all a bit better.”

“Um,” Annabeth began, thinking about Percy. He really wouldn’t mind, as long as she showed up there at the end of the night. “That’s wonderful,” she said. “I’m honored.”

“It’s our pleasure,” Mr. Cunningham beamed. “Dinner’s at 6, and we’re going to the theatre afterwards. Do you like theatre?” 

“It’s sad, I’ve lived in New York for almost three years, and I haven’t been once,” Annabeth admitted. “Though my roommate listens to a lot of Broadway soundtracks.”

“Oh, then you’re in for a treat,” Mrs. Cunningham gushed. “We’re going to see Mamma Mia afterward, Edward has it all arranged.” 

Annabeth hadn’t realized that the dinner invitation also included a trip to the theatre. “Oh, I wouldn’t want to impose....” she managed.

“Nonsense,” Mrs. Cunningham waved this away. “We’re excited to be getting to know Ava’s friends. It will be a lovely time.” 

Mr. Cunningham pulled up in front of the dorm. “We’ll see you tomorrow night!” Mrs. Cunningham said cheerily. 

“It was excellent to meet you,” Mr. Cunningham added.

“Yes, you as well,” Annabeth said faintly as they exited the card.. 

They pulled away, leaving Ava and Annabeth on the curb. “Sorry about springing that on you,” Ava offered apologetically. “I didn’t know my parents were going to do that. I hope it doesn’t mess up any plans you had with Percy. “

“Nah, it’s fine,” Annabeth assured her. “Do the others know yet?”

“I’m about to tell them,” Ava said, and they headed into the dorm.

They were met at the door by Kirsten and Kassandra who hugged them both, and might have teared up a little. Apparently, Ava had filmed Annabeth’s speech with her phone. Annabeth wished she’d thought to film Ava’s, but apparently Ava’s parents had covered that. They’d already watched them.

“That was amazing, girl.” Kirsten said into her ear..

“It was beautiful,” Kassandra agreed. “I loved it.”

“Thanks,” Annabeth replied, from the depths of the hug. 

“And my parents want to take us all out to dinner tomorrow,” Ava announced. “And then to the theatre.”

This got their attention, and Ava explained what her parents wanted, and they all agreed it sounded like a great time. They all made their way upstairs to Kirsten and Annabeth’s room, where they broke down both girl’s speeches all over again, and then Annabeth put her foot down. “We have class in the morning,” she said. “And I didn’t sleep well last night.” 

Ava agreed, and they headed toward bed. Before she crawled into bed, though, she texted Percy. 

_ Hey Seaweed Brain, be jealous, I’m going to get an expensive dinner tomorrow.  _

_ $$ as in filling or stupd & tiny  _

_ No idea. _

_ Who’s paying _

_ Ava’s parents. They want to get to know all of her friends.  _

_ that silly they wont let her play w/u after they get to no u  _ 😝

_ Ha ha very funny. We get to go to the theatre with them, too. _

_ What you  _ 👀

_ Mamma Mia _

_ Will gonna be jelly _

_ That’s not nice. _

_ Whatd i say _

_ Just because he’s gay, doesn’t mean he likes theatre. Stop stereotyping. _

_ Wise Girl, i meant hes an Apollo kid.  _ 🤣

_ Seaweed Brain  _ 🙄

_ Have fun you still comin here tom nite? _

_ I’ll take care of it first thing in the morning. Go to bed. I love you. _

💓 _ u 2 _

She smiled, and put up her phone and got ready for bed.

That night, Annabeth had a nightmare.

It was a demigod nightmare, she hadn’t had one in a long time. It was like a waking dream. But it wasn’t like any she remembered from before. It was all fuzzy, and indistinct. She’d dreamed she was walking through a burning city, but she couldn’t make out any of the details, so she had no idea where she was. And then she was somewhere else. Somewhere flat, and dry. Nearby, someone was crying, but she couldn’t tell who it was. She couldn’t even tell if the voice was male or female. “Hello,” she called out in the dream. The crying stopped. 

“Annabeth?”” the voice said.

“Who’s there?” she called

“Annabeth?” 

The dream shifted again, becoming clearer, but more familiar. She was back  _ there _ . She couldn’t see. And Percy was gone.

“Percy!” she called out. “Percy!” He was gone. He’d left her alone. All alone. 

“Annabeth!” the voice again, different this time. Not Percy.

“Who’s there!” she called out.

“Annabeth!” This voice she did know, it was Kirsten. She snapped her eyes open.

“Wha…?”

The room was dark, and Kirsten was holding her wrists. Annabeth felt her pulse pounding in her neck. “Annabeth, it’s okay. It’s a nightmare,” Kirsten soothed.

Annabeth took a deep breath, relaxing. Kirsten released her wrists. Annabeth glanced at the glowing red numbers on the clock.  _ 3:32.  _

“I got up to pee, and when I came back, you were thrashing and calling for Percy,” Kirsten explained. “Are you okay?”

Annabeth took a deep breath. “Yeah. I’m okay...just...little bit of a flashback.”

Kirsten sat down on the edge of Annabeth’s bed, and patted her legs. “It’s okay,” she soothed her. “I understand. I imagine talking about it tonight didn’t help.”

“Probably not,” Annabeth admitted. She signed and sat up. “I’m sorry I disturbed you.”

“Hey, no big,” Kirsten shrugged. “Like I said, I was up anyway.” She hesitated. “Was it bad?”

“I…” Annabeth hesitated. “It was actually a jumble of things. The part you woke me up at was last summer. I had fallen, but this time, I was alone. Percy wasn’t there to rescue me.”

“Scary,” Kirsten squeezed her ankle again. “It’s just a nightmare, though. You’re both safe.” She paused, looking concerned. “I know I shouldn’t ask…”

“It’s okay,” Annabeth prompted. “Go ahead.”

“This time, you were calling for Percy, which I get, but sometimes, well, last fall mostly...who’s Bob?”

Annabeth froze, not knowing what to say. “I…”

“I’m sorry,” Kirsten apologized immediately. “I shouldn’t pry.”

Annabeth took a deep breath. “It’s okay...Bob...Bob was a friend. He…” Annabeth closed her eyes against the pain and regret. “I...don’t want to talk about it.” She felt tears at the corner of her eyes.

Kirsten laid down next to her and gave her a hug. “I’m sorry.”

“I’m sorry too,” Annabeth hugged her back/ “There are just things...I can’t talk about them. And it’s not that I…you...I wish I could give you everything. Gods know you’ve been so good to me.”

Kirsten held her. “Hey, we’ve all got our secrets. It’s okay. You’ve got a lot of them, I think, but that’s okay. You’re still my friend.”

Annabeth felt tears in her eyes, for an entirely different reason. “Thank you.”

Kirsten gave her another hug, then got up and headed for her own bed. “Go back to sleep. We’re going to be draggin’ ass tomorrow unless we can get some more z’s.” 

“Yeah,” Annabeth agreed, but she picked up her phone. She hesitated slightly over the text message, but then typed.

_ I miss you.  _

She stared at the screen for a moment, and was about to put it down, when the three little dots appeared. She waited.

_ Nightmare?  _

_ Yeah. I’m okay now. I just miss you. _

_ Mis _ _ s u 2 im okay im here need 2 talk? _

_ No, I’m good. Love you _

💓 _ u 2 get some sleep _

_ You too. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Loved it? Hated it? Want to chat? Email: TheAuthor@no2ticonderoga.com
> 
> Or catch me on the Twitter: @No_2Ticonderoga
> 
> EDIT: Oh, hey! I realized I finally exhausted the teasers I posted a gods-know-while back. Here are some new ones!
> 
> ** 
> 
> “I didn’t get a high enough number in the draft - Mr. Adams has us all draw playing cards, and then has us pick based on our draw order - to get any of the good ones. I got something called Casablanca. I picked it because I thought it meant ‘White House’ in Spanish, and I figured since I took Spanish…”
> 
> **
> 
> “Hello, Percy Jackson’s fiancée’s phone.” 
> 
> “Heeeeey, guess who’s gradua..WHAT?” Rachel screeched. Percy pulled the phone away from his ear. “What did you say?” 
> 
> **  
> “So, do you want to yell at me for being an idiot?” Percy asked.
> 
> Annabeth sighed. “Yes. But no. You know that was stupid.”
> 
> **
> 
> “That was literally one time, and it’s irrelevant. My point is, I don’t need you to become some perfect, what’s the place, with the movie, with the place…?”
> 
> “Stepford,” Doc supplied from the sidelines.
> 
> **
> 
> “You know we’d have to invite Piper’s mom,” she said. “And that means she’d bring him.”
> 
> **
> 
> “The front door would be blue,” she told him. He gazed down at the blueprints for another moment and then looked up and met her gaze. 
> 
> **
> 
> "If you ever hope to laid again, Percy Jackson, you will not say anything to anyone. And if you tell Leo Valdez, I’ll see to it that you won’t ever be capable of getting laid ever again, do you understand me?"
> 
> **
> 
> A red sports car roared up to the curb just then. The horn blew, and Rachel Elizabeth Dare called. “Get in losers, we’re going shopping.” 
> 
> **
> 
> Tell me.
> 
> No 
> 
> Why?
> 
> The three dots blinked for a long time. Plausible deniability
> 
> **
> 
> “I had….something...for lunch,” Percy mused. “I don’t remember. Oh, the leftover tacos.” 
> 
> Annabeth’s stomach growled. “I didn’t eat,” she realized. 
> 
> “You had that granola bar. I dunno when that was,” Percy offered.
> 
> **
> 
> “I’d be happy to kick your ass, but since Annabeth doesn’t go to Goode, they can’t expel her four days before graduation, and I’ve not come this far to risk it.”
> 
> **  
> Annabeth reached up and stroked his cheek. “I know, babe, I know. But you can’t go around sinking people’s boats just because you don’t like them.”
> 
> Percy sighed. “Why not? It’s what Dad does,” he was joking, but only kinda.
> 
> “You gave up that chance, remember?” she tossed back at him. “Back on Olympus.”
> 
> “I gave it up for you,” he reminded her. 
> 
> She shook her head. “You going to keep playing that card?”
> 
> “Is it still working?” he asked.


	45. 45: Percy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You guys all rock! Thanks for hanging with me. It's been a long week, but it's almost over. Enjoy this chapter!

Percy waited up for Annabeth to get back from the show. It was a Friday, but he spent some time studying, especially since mom and Paul wanted to watch a show on the TV in the living room that Percy had no interest in. After they went to bed, he did put up the studying to play video games, which is what he was doing when Annabeth got there. 

“Hey,” she called softly after she came in the door. “You still up?” She came into the living room. She had paired one of her school uniform skirts with a summery top, and she’d done her hair up, so she looked very professional and formal. 

“Yeah,” he paused the game. “I’m here. Mom and Paul went to bed about an hour ago, but I expect Estelle to wake up any time now. How was dinner?”

She sat down next to him, and he put his arm around her. She snuggled in. “It was good. We went to Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse.”

“Aww, man, now I really am jealous. That’s a place where you can actually get real food,” he said. “Expensive though. How come it seems like all our mortal friends are rich?”

“Well, we both go to private schools, Percy. That’s only to be expected.”

“How were Ava’s parents?” he asked. 

“They weren’t bad,” she allowed. “Mr. Cunningham was very interested in all of our school work. He was actually really interested in Kirsten’s political activism. I guess they’re old line Democrats, which I would not have expected.”

“Limousine Liberals,” Percy said. “New York is full of them.” He shrugged. Mortal politics were only something he absorbed by osmosis by listening to his parents, or his classmates. Or, actually, he reflected, it was something that Gabe carried on about, at length, on many occasions. That was probably where he’d first heard the term. 

“I guess so. Anyway, turns out they give tons of money to a bunch of New York charities, like the Actors’ Fund and the Shubert Foundation. Which is why he could bring six people to  _ Mamma Mia _ on short notice and get seats in the orchestra.” 

“How was Mrs. Cunningham? She seemed like a piece of work when we took prom photos.” He couldn’t resist planting a row of kisses across the top of her head. 

“She was fine -stop that,” she squirmed. “I can see why she drives Ava nuts. She had a lot of questions for me, mostly about you. I got the impression that she thinks the most important thing Ava can do at Yale is get her MRS degree.”

“What do you do with that?” he asked.

“M-R-S degree? Missus degree?” Annabeth said.

“I don’t get it,” Percy shook his head. He was missing something.

“A husband, Seaweed Brain. She wants her to find a husband. Preferably as wealthy as they are,” Annabeth explained.

“Ohhhhhh,” Percy said. “I get it now.” 

“Yeah, so, Kirsten was starting to get a little annoyed before all was said and done, so it was good we had to get off to the theatre.”

“How was the show?” He leaned his head on hers.

“Oh, it was great,” she said. “It was amazing to finally get to a Broadway theatre, and the show was fun.” She hummed a few bars from Dancing Queen.

“Good, I’m glad.” He squeezed her a little tighter and she gave a little ‘eep’ noise. 

“What have you been doing?” she asked. “I see you’re busy blasting aliens again,” she added. She took the controller away from him and set it on the side table. Then she began running her bare foot up and down his lower leg.

“I did some school work,” he said, a little defensively.

“You did? Mm, I’m impressed.” She leaned up and kissed him. 

“Well, I am kind of impressive,” he said, modestly.

“And humble, too,” she snorted. 

“Oh, I got a rainbow going earlier, and I tried making some calls again. No go for anyone west of the Mississippi. I thought I’d gotten somewhere when I asked for Leo, but the connection broke. I saw a flash of bronze, I thought it might be Festus, but before I could say anything, it was gone.” He shrugged.

Annabeth sighed. “I tried calling Piper’s phone twice today. The first time there was nothing, but the next time, I got a message saying the number was out of service, which is really weird.”

Percy sighed. “There’s nothing we can do about it right now,” he sighed. “Just got to focus on what’s ahead of us.”

Annabeth sighed. “I know. But…”

“Yeah. But.” Percy agreed. He hugged her shoulders again. “So, what do you want to do now?” he asked.

“It’s late,” she pointed out. “And I didn’t sleep well on Wednesday night, or Thursday night, since I had that nightmare.”

“Oh, yeah. What was that about?” he asked.

“Typical stuff,” she waved a hand. “Vague dark scary stuff. A burning city. Someone crying. Tartarus.”

“Sounds like a Thursday night,” Percy agreed. 

“There was…” she hesitated. “The first part. With the burning city, and the person crying...that was more like…”

“Like what?” Percy asked. 

“More real. A demigod dream.” She didn’t look happy about it.

“That’s...disturbing.”

“It reminded me...it was kinda like the dream I had when I first saw you when you were out west. All kind of vague, and fuzzy and I wasn’t even sure it was real.” She sighed, and hugged him tighter. They held each other for a few moments in silence, and then Annabeth yawned hugely. 

“I think it’s time to get you into bed, Wise Girl,” he said, starting to sit up.

“You’d like that, wouldn’t you,” she shot back, with a smirk that sent his heart racing.

“Hey, you know how I feel about that when my folks are home,” he protested, weakly. He knew it wouldn’t take much for her to change his mind about that. 

She giggled. “Yes. That’s why it’s fun teasing you.” She stood up and stretched. “C’mon, Seaweed Brain. Let’s go to bed. I promise that I won’t make any further attempts to seduce you this evening.” She snorted. “Not that that was much of an attempt.”

“Hey, I’m a teenage guy, it doesn’t take much effort,” he pointed out.

Annabeth laughed. “That’s true.” She grabbed his butt. “Oops.”

They did manage to shuttle through the shower and get into bed. They curled up together, just like they had the last time, and the time before that, with Percy curled around her, hand splayed possessively on her stomach. It was pretty much the way he wanted to spend every night of the rest of his life. “Love you, Annabeth,” he whispered into her ear.

“Love you, too, Percy,” she whispered back.

In the morning, Percy actually was up first. Once again, he’d slept soundly, with no disturbing dreams. Frankly, that was the greatest argument he could ever make for living together. He padded out to the kitchen to find he was the first one up. Or at least the first one out of bed. So he pulled out bowls and the griddle and started in on pancakes. He liked cooking breakfast, and it was rare that he had the kitchen to himself. By the time his mom padded out of her bedroom, probably drawn by the smells from the kitchen, he had just about plated the first batch. 

“Good morning,” he smiled at her.

“You’re up early,” his mom observed, sitting down at the table, and taking the plate that Percy offered.

“I don’t usually sleep this well,” he pointed out.

“Mmm,” his mom made a non-committal noise in her throat. 

“And, I guess I should start learning to get up earlier,” he allowed. “If I’m going to start doing serious training.”

“It will be easier to do that at Camp,” his mom pointed out. “You can set up some training lanes in the canoe lake.” 

“Yeah, I figured I can ask Chiron to let me schedule swim training into my schedule.” He set the butter and syrup on the table for his mom. 

“So, are you serious about this?” his mom asked, cutting to the chase.

“Yeah,” he told her. “And Annabeth is on board.”

“You’ve got about a year,” she pointed out. “Do you really think you can be ready? You’ll be competing against people with a lot more experience.” 

“Story of my life, mom,” he laughed, pouring out more batter onto the griddle. 

She laughed too. “Well, that much is true.” She reached out and squeezed his shoulder. “But you always seem to manage.”

“That’s me,” he agreed. “And...I really think I can do this,” he said, growing serious.

“I believe in you, you know that. And we’ll be there, wherever that takes you,” she promised.

Annabeth emerged from the bedroom, still in her pjs, which consisted of one of Percy’s t-shirts and a pair of shorts. The t-shirt was so long on her that it almost looked like she wasn’t wearing anything underneath it, which was pretty distracting when he was trying to flip pancakes.

Percy got Annabeth a plate, and served her up her share of blue pancakes, and shortly thereafter, Paul, carrying a freshly changed Estelle, who Annabeth relieved him of immediately. 

“Good morning little one,” Annabeth cooed at her. “And how are you today?”

Estelle responded by blowing bubbles and trying to grab Annabeth’s nose.

“Pancakes?” he asked Paul.

“Yes, please, thank you,” Paul said, taking a seat at the table next to Sally. He kissed her on the top of her head.

“No problem,” Percy smiling at how happy his mom looked. 

“So what are you two planning for the day?” Sally asked.

Percy shrugged. “School work, I imagine,” he sighed. “Oh, I do have that thing to do,” he looked at Annabeth. “Was hoping you’d help me.”

She arched an eyebrow at him. “You’ll forgive me for wanting a little bit more detail than ‘that thing to do’, before I commit.”

“Fair,” Percy allowed. “I have to watch a film for history class. We’re doing something on historical film analysis and film as propaganda.”

“What movie?” she asked.

“I didn’t get a high enough number in the draft - Mr. Adams has us all draw playing cards, and then has us pick based on our draw order - to get any of the good ones. I got something called Casablanca. I picked it because I thought it meant ‘White House’ in Spanish, and I figured since I took Spanish…”

Annabeth and Sally began to laugh. 

“What?”

“Percy,” Annabeth gasped. “That’s not at  _ all _ what the movie is about.”

“It’s not?” Percy said. “I thought it might be a Spanish language political thriller.” 

“It takes place in Casablanca, the city in Morocco,” Annabeth explained.

“It’s one of the great films of American cinema,” Sally added. 

“It’s a good movie,” Paul agreed. “It actually makes a really good date movie,” he added.

“Sounds good to me,” Percy said agreeably. “Whaddya say, Wise Girl?”

“Fine,” she replied, grinning at him. “I’ll help you. I’ve been meaning to watch that movie anyway.”

And so, after breakfast had been cleaned up, Percy found himself on the couch with Annabeth and his notebook. Neither had bothered to change from their pjs yet, and they cuddled closely.

“It’s in black and white,” Percy noted, as the opening credits began.

“It’s from 1943,” Annabeth pointed out. “Now, shhh.”

Paul had been right about it being a good date movie. Percy even enjoyed it, despite it being in black and white. It didn’t drag on like a lot of movies, or at least it didn’t feel like it. They only paused twice so Annabeth could refresh his memory on the history going on at the time. (Percy then made a star in his notebook next to the “If it's December 1941 in Casablanca, what time is it in New York?” line, for use in his reflection paper later.) Annabeth cried at the end. 

“You okay?” he asked.

“Yes,” she mumbled. “I didn’t know this was going to turn me into such a sap,” she said. “Now shut up and kiss me.”

Percy might not have been the best student in school, but he certainly wasn’t dumb, so he did as he was told. 

A bit later, when they were both flushed and lacking for oxygen, their foreheads resting on each other as they panted, Annabeth asked. “So, what did you think of the movie?”

“I liked it. It’s got some great lines.”

“It’s considered to be one of the greatest screenplays of all time,” Annabeth explained. “So, how does it connect to propaganda?”

Percy paused. “It’s about America waking up, like Rick said. They’re asleep. Rick represents America, coming awake and contributing to the war effort, even though it means sacrifice.” 

“That’s good,” Annabeth said, sounding pleased.

“Yeah, now I just have to stretch that into a two page response paper,” Percy grimaced. 

“You’ll manage,” she promised. She stretched, causing her t-shirt to rise up, which was very distracting.

“Are you two still in your PJs?” his mom asked. “Don’t you think you should get dressed?”

Annabeth sighed. “Yeah. I’ll go first.” She kissed him, and stood up. He watched her go down the hall.

“You two are too funny,” Sally sounded amused. “But Paul and I appreciate your discretion.”

“Huh?” Percy didn’t follow that, but to be fair, he’d been busy watching Annabeth from behind.

“The two of you, taking turns getting changed, or in the shower, careful to preserve the illusion for your parents, even though we said you could share the room.” Sally smiled. “It’s good to know you care about our sensibilities.”

“Well...I...we…” he stammered, as he realized what his mom was talking about. “Didn’t want…”

“Percy, it’s okay,” she soothed. “When I said we were going to treat you like adults, we meant it. You don’t have to try and spare us. It’s not like we don’t know you’ll be together in California in four months anyway.” 

“I...we, that is,” he clarified, “didn’t want to...y’know, push out luck. Or take advantage of the situation,” he said, uncomfortably.

“You aren’t,” she said. “But I think you’re sweet for what you’re trying to do.” She then fixed him with a mom stare. “And I hope you’re being safe.” 

“Uh, right,” Percy nodded. “Yeah. We...yeah.”

Annabeth’s phone, which she had left on the end table, began to ring just then, saving Percy from any further embarrassment. He saw it was Rachel, so he grinned, and picked up the phone and answered it.

“Hello, Percy Jackson’s fiancée’s phone.” 

“Heeeeey, guess who’s gradua.. _ WHAT?” _ Rachel screeched. Percy pulled the phone away from his ear. “ _ What did you say? _ ” 

“I said…”

“Put Annabeth on.” Rachel demanded.

“I’m sorry, Mr. Jackson’s fiancée is temporarily unavailable, can I take a message?” He could hardly contain his laughter. 

“Percy, so help me, put Annabeth on right the fuck now,” she ordered. 

Annabeth emerged from his bedroom just then, clad in a t-shirt and her favorite tan shorts. “Hang on,” he laughed. “She’s just coming out of my bedroom.”

“ _ What?”  _

Percy laughed uproariously, as he handed the phone to Annabeth, who looked at it quizzically. “It’s Rachel,” he said.

Annabeth took it. “Hey, Rache…”

“ _ You’re ENGAGED?”  _ Percy could still hear her shouting. 

Annabeth shot him a glare. “It didn’t occur to you that  _ I _ might want to tell her myself,” she growled.

Percy had the grace to look a little abashed.

“ _ It’s TRUE?  _ I thought he was  _ joking!” _ Rachel was still loud enough to hear.

Annabeth turned the volume down on her phone. “Yes, it’s true. We got engaged after my prom.”

With the volume turned down, Percy could no longer hear both sides of the conversation. Annabeth sank onto the couch, and Percy got up. “Gonna go change,” he mouthed at Annabeth and hooked a thumb toward the bedroom. She nodded, waving him off with a mock glare.

“Yes, it was very romantic,” Annabeth said. “...no, that was after  _ his  _ prom.” Percy turned back toward Annabeth at this, meeting her eyes with a grin. She matched it briefly before returning her attention to the phone.

Percy dressed quickly, and returned in time to catch the end of the conversation. 

“Yes. No, that sounds great. Call us when you're settled. I’ll have Percy text you with his new number…yeah. We’ll tell you all about it….okay, see you soon.” She hung up. 

“She graduated last night,” Annabeth explained. “She’s just got back to town, they’re unloading her stuff from the private jet at the airport. She’s going to call us when she gets settled at home, and we’re going to hang out.”

Percy gave a thumbs up. “Awesome,” then he paused. “Seems early.”

“No, New York is just late,” Annabeth clarified. “And it’s not super early. We only have what, a week and a half of class left?”

“Yeah,” Percy reflected. “I start finals at the end of this week. And we finish on Monday. Tuesday is the class trip, Thursday, graduation rehearsal, and then the big event on Friday.

“It’s a good thing mine is on Saturday,” she said. “Or we’d be stuck.”

“Yeah, I would hate to miss yours,” Percy agreed.

“So what shall we do while we wait for Rachel to call?” Annabeth asked.

“Did you miss that finals start this week?” he asked. “I figure we both have work to do.”

“Well, you’re not wrong,” she sighed. “Okay,” she said. “Let’s get to work.”

They moved into his bedroom. Percy cleared off his desk and got out his laptop, and Annabeth dug out her notebooks and spread them across the bed. Percy worked on his response paper for the movie, and Annabeth was doing some work for chemistry, it looked like. 

His mom came to check on them in the early afternoon, offering them food, which they accepted gratefully. Percy finished his response paper, and emailed it to Paul so he could proofread it, and then moved on to studying for physics. 

It was late afternoon when Annabeth’s phone rang again. Annabeth answered it. “Hey Rache,” she said. “Yeah, we’re at Percy’s. No, don’t do that, it’s only like five blocks. Yes, we’ll be over shortly. Okay, see you soon.” She hung up. “Silly girl wanted to send a car for us.”

“Really?” Percy shook her head. “We’re less than a mile away. It would take longer to get here and back in a car than it would walking.”

“I know, right?” She started packing up her books. “We should head over. I think she wants to feed us.”

“I’ll let mom know,” he said.

A few minutes later, they were out on the street, walking hand in hand. “Ugh, I didn’t realize it had gotten so humid,” Annabeth complained. “My hair is going to go all frizzy.”

“New York City in June,” Percy said with a grin. 

“Ugh,” she groaned. “I don’t remember California being this humid.”

“Hot though.”

“But it’s a dry heat,” she argued.

“That’s worse, for me,” he pointed out. “No little water molecules for me to play with.” He gave her the puppy dog eyes.

She rolled her eyes at him. 

They arrived at Rachel’s building, and she was waiting for them in the lobby. She practically tackled Annabeth. “ _ I WANT TO SEEEEEEEE _ !” she shrieked, contradicting the fact that the hug had pinned Annabeth’s arms to her side.

Rachel hugged Percy too, and everyone got disengaged enough for Annabeth to show off the ring, and then another round of girly, squealy hugs. The doorman watched it all with a bemused grin.

“Oh, gods, you have to come up stairs and tell me  _ everything.  _ I missed you guys so much the last few weeks,” Rachel complained, herding them to the elevator.

And so they did, giving polite but cursory greetings to Rachel’s mother, who had gone to retrieve her from school. Her father had apparently put in his appearance at graduation, then jetted off on another business trip. They told her everything that had been happening since her visit, about their engagement, and Percy’s prom. She told them about her finals, and graduation, and her move back to New York.

“And my dad is going to let me take over the floor below this one as my own apartment,” she finished. “Now that I’m going to be on my own next year. I can commute to NYU from here.”

“The whole floor, just for you?” Despite everything, Percy was always stunned by the Dare fortune.

“Yeah, isn’t it great?” she gushed. “I’ll have plenty of space for a bigger studio. And I’ll have extra bedrooms.”

Annabeth perked up. “Oh, good. Maybe I can stay with you next summer, when I come back for my internship.”

“Internship?” Rachel asked. “Already? Where?”

Annabeth explained about her internship with Jacobs and Timlin.

“My dad uses Jacobs and Timlin,” Rachel whistled. “They’re a big deal. That’s fucking awesome, girl. You’re starting at the top, and no shit.”

Annabeth blushed, and Percy smiled. Despite her alleged fatal flaw of hubris, Percy knew that she was just as susceptible to imposter syndrome as anyone. He’d told her many times that she was the best, and she’d insisted that she was just one among dozens. “Thank you.”

“You can stay with me any time,” Rachel assured her. “I’ll make sure at least one of the rooms is fitted out for you.”

“That’s good, because by the time we finish college, my mom says she might need my room for Estelle,” Percy added. “We might move in with you.”

“Wait,  _ we?”  _ Rachel asked.

Annabeth sighed. “Percy is campaigning to get married sooner rather than later.”

“How soon?”

“August,” Percy said.

“Holy fuck,” Rachel exclaimed. “I was just teasing you when I was here last, I didn’t really mean that you should get married this summer.”

“I told you Percy wanted to,” Annabeth rolled her eyes.

“I thought you were exaggerating,” Rachel protested. “So you’re serious about this,” she turned to Percy.

“Very,” he assured her. “If it were up to me, we’d get married before we left in the fall. Then we’ll be together, at school, and while I’m training, and hopefully next year.”

“Training...next year?” Rachel asked. “What am I missing?”

“Percy’s going to make a run at the Olympic team,” Annabeth explained. 

Rachel nearly fell off her bean bag chair. “ _ No shit, _ really? Do you think you have a shot?” She just shook her head. “Gods, you guys just don’t stop dropping bombs on me, do you?”

“Possibly,” Percy said. “I’ll have to work at it. But with Annabeth managing my schedule and training regime, I think I’ve got a good shot.”

“I’m looking into strength training workouts. Maybe we can get the Ares kids to help you there,” Annabeth mused. Percy at first thought she was kidding, but then he saw the scary-concentrated look on her face. He swallowed. Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea…

His phone pinged. He looked at it. “It’s Josh,” he announced to Annabeth. “He and Darah are going to hang out in Central Park tomorrow, they want to know if we want to join them.”

“That sounds awesome,” Annabeth said. “What time?”

Percy checked his phone. “Just after lunch, sounds like. I’ll tell them we’ll meet them outside the zoo.”

Annabeth nodded. “Sounds great.”

“Josh and Darah were on the swim team with you, right?” Rachel asked.

“Yeah,” Percy said. “They pretty cool.” 

Rachel sighed and flopped back on her beanbag chair. “I’m so jealous of you guys, you seem to have made some good friends. If I  _ never _ see any of those Stepford drones again, I’ll be thrilled. They hated me up there, and I pretty much hated them.”

“Stepford drones?” Percy asked.

“It’s this movie, where all the women are, like, these perfect little housewives, like something out of the 1950s, or something. All pearls and pink dresses, and high heels all day long. And waiting hand and foot on their husbands. It’s disgusting. All my classmates had totally drank the Kool-aid on it.” Rachel groaned. 

Annabeth, who was sitting next to Rachel leaned over and hugged her. “I’m sorry about that. I’ve made some great friends. I’m going to miss them. I had dinner with Ava Cunningham and her parents yesterday, along with Kassandra, and my roommate Kirsten.”

“Ava Cunningham?” Rachel mused. “I know her. Our parents are friendly. And I think I remember a Kassie from middle school.”

“We should hang out,” Annabeth declared. “I can set it up. Ava’s going to Yale to study English Literature.”

Rachel wrinkled her nose. “Not my favorite subject.”

“Not mine, either,” Percy agreed. “But Ava’s nice.”

“So, what do you guys want to eat?” Rachel asked. “Do you guys want to go out, or eat in? I’m shooting the works tonight, so don’t hold back.” She grinned widely, as she always did when contemplating spending her father’s money recklessly. 

Annabeth glanced at herself and Percy. “I just ate at Ruth’s Chris, yesterday. And we’re not really dressed to go out.”

“Take out it is,” Rachel pronounced. “How about Italian?”

They ordered expensive Italian, and ate at one of Rachel’s painting tables that she’d cleaned off for the occasion. When Percy asked why they didn’t just eat in the kitchen, Rachel had said “Because then we might have to engage with my mom, and I really don’t want to do that after being trapped in an airplane with her.” Percy couldn’t blame her for that. Over the last year or two, he’d been introduced to her mom on a couple of occasions, and each time come away feeling more uncomfortable with her than less. 

They finished up their dinner and Rachel suggested a movie or a board game, and Annabeth said that was fine, as long as she got back to the dorm by curfew. 

“You’re not staying with Percy tonight?” Rachel asked.

“I have basically two weeks left with my roommate and my friends at Forester. Much as I love Percy, I want to spend time with them while I still can,” she explained. 

They ended up playing Cards Against Humanity...sort of. When Rachel had been home last Christmas and introduced them to the game, they’d taken the time to use the “make your own cards” templates and created whole collections of gods-related cards. So it was more like Cards Against the Gods. They laughed till they cried over some of the combinations they made. When Annabeth had said she needed to get home, Rachel had convinced her to stay a little bit longer by promising to drive her back the dorm. When they finally wrapped up, Percy gave Rachel a big hug, and she agreed to come by for dinner with Sally and Paul sometime in the coming weeks, and he’d walked home while Rachel had driven Annabeth back to school. 

He was less than a block from Rachel’s when he realized he was being followed. Demigod instincts and all that. It was dark, but the streets were decently lit in this part of town, and he’d tried to catch the shape of what was following him in the side mirrors of the parked cars. It looked human, whatever it was. 

When he got to a cross street, he turned, and then ducked into a doorway quickly, before whatever was following him could catch up. A moment later a ragged looking man came around the corner. Percy caught the glint of a knife in the streetlight as the man looked around for his prey.  _ Sure, _ he thought.  _ The one thing my sword won’t protect me from. A common fucking NYC mugger.  _

Percy hugged into the doorway a little tighter, trying to hide in the shadows. Maybe the man would give up, go looking for other prey. But then he’d be a menace to someone less capable… The man took the decision out of Percy’s hands as he started down the street. In another second he would be passing Percy and he would undoubtedly see him. Percy sighed inwardly.  _ I don’t want to do this.  _ The man came into view of the doorway and started to turn.

He struck out with his foot, kneecapping the man. He cried out, and went down. Percy was on him, had his wrist, and twisted hard. The knife clattered to the ground. Percy hauled the man up by the collar of his reeking coat and pushed him against the side of the building. 

The man’s eyes were wild with terror. He’d realized that he’d clearly bitten off more than he could chew. He fairly reeked of booze, which made Percy almost throw up on him.  _ A homeless drunk,  _ Percy thought,  _ looking to score a few bucks for the next bottle.  _ The only emotion Percy could muster was pity.

A siren whooped, and a spotlight shone on them. A NYC squad car pulled to the curb. 

Percy let the guy go, and backed away, keeping his hands visible. The cop got out of his squad car. “Evening,” he said sardonically. His hand was resting on his gun belt. Percy nodded at the knife that had slid into the gutter. 

“He was following me,” he explained. “Had a knife.” 

The cop glanced at it, and looked at the guy against the wall, and chuckled. “This guy isn’t having a good night. He tried a woman back on the other block. She scared him away with mace and called it in. I’ve been looking for him. I tagged him following you back around the corner, but I didn’t catch up till you came around. Looks like he picked wrong, twice. You want to press charges?” 

“No,” Percy shook his head. The idea of doing that made him almost as sick as the smell. What he wanted was for the guy to get help. “Just take him somewhere to dry out.” 

The man began to protest then, burbling inarticulate protests about needing more booze, and no, no, the nightmares would come, and please, just a few bucks for a bottle.

The cop sighed and rubbed his face with his hand. “Yeah. I’ll take him down to the shelter. They’ll do what they can for him, I guess.” He looked resigned, and Percy didn’t blame him. There was only so much the cops could do, and even the shelters were overflowing. It wasn’t fair. 

“Maybe he’s got family?” Percy suggested hopefully.

“We’ll check into it,” the cop said, but he didn’t sound like he had much hope. “You going far?” he asked, as he moved in to collect the poor man.

“Three more blocks.” Percy nodded in the direction of his apartment.

“All right then,” the cop nodded, starting to manhandle the drunk toward the cruiser. “Have a good night.”

“Yes, sir, and thank you.” 

Percy made it the rest of the way home without incident, and then texted Annabeth that he was home.

_ Nearly got mugged,  _ he added. 

_ WHAT??? _

_ Im OK i had the guy but a  _ 👮 _ came it was a drunk  _ 👀  _ for $$ _

_ You’re ok? _

👍 _ Annoyed but OK.  _

_ It’s not enough there are monsters… _

_ Im fine dnt worry about it I  _ 💓 u

_ Love you too _

_ See u tom.  _

_ You better.  _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Love it? Hate it? Email: TheAuthor@no2ticonderoga.com
> 
> Follow me on Twitter: No_2Ticonderoga


	46. 46: Annabeth

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so first off, let me just say that my knowledge of NYC carriage horses comes mainly from reading news articles about the current Mayor trying to ban them. I did a little digging on why he was trying to do it, and read some articles there.
> 
> I am quite sure there are equally valid reasons to keep it, and probably people who care for the animals who would never in a millions years do the kinds of things that show up in this chapter. But we all know that there are always few assholes in every group. And it's a work of fiction, after all. If the Greek gods can exist...
> 
> Oh, and my knowledge of veterinary science comes almost exclusively from watching All Creatures Great and Small on PBS...
> 
> Anyway, on with the show.

They met Darah and Josh outside the zoo as planned. It was great to see them again. It gave Annabeth and Darah the chance to have a good girl gossip. While Percy and Josh tossed the frisbee around, Darah confided in Annabeth.

“Josh is really upset about having to go to Israel. I think he’s afraid I’m mad about it. I know it’s not his fault,” Darah explained. “I mean, I kinda wish he’d told me sooner, but I get it.”

“He was probably nervous that you might turn him down if you knew,” Annabeth pointed out.

“Probably,” Darah agreed. “Which is kinda cute, to be honest. He’s really insecure.” She paused. “I think...I think he feels a little like an outsider. I think that’s why he and Percy get along so well. Percy's always been a bit of an outsider, too.”

"Why does Josh feel like an outsider? Because he's Jewish?” 

“Yeah,” Darah nodded. “He’s pretty self conscious about it. I think he cares more than the rest of us, but he’s really aware of it. He’s really mad at his mom for the way she acts toward me because I’m not Jewish.” She shrugged. “At the same time, he’s proud of his heritage. I think it just...he’s worried about it. You don’t see a lot of TV reporters with last names like Horowitz.” She shrugged. 

“I can see where he and Percy would gravitate toward one another, even without swimming,” Annabeth said. “Percy’s been an outcast a lot of the time. He moved schools almost every year before he got to Goode.”

“Yeah, he’s said that before.” Darah looked over at her curiously. ‘That’s kind of weird. What’s up with that, anyway?”

“His ADHD and dyslexia caused a lot of problems,” Annabeth explained. “He had a hard time getting schools to take it seriously.” 

Darah made an unhappy face. “That sucks. What about you? You were out west for a while, right?”

“A few years,” Annabeth admitted. “I...didn’t have a great early childhood either. I...was a runaway for a while,” she confessed. 

“Oh my God,” Darah looked stunned. “Really? That’s..intense. Like, seriously?”

Annabeth nodded. “You must have heard about Percy’s big news story when he was 12?”

“Yeah, everyone has. Most kids are a little afraid of him for it, even if they don’t admit it.”

“I was there. I was with him. That was really when we met. After that we started going to summer camp together,” Annabeth explained. “Percy basically rescued me.” Annabeth found that this was becoming easier to explain with time. The fact that their little junket for the Master Bolt was so well publicized, even if it didn’t make a lot of sense, helped tie their stories together. 

“No shit!” Darah exclaimed. “That explains so much, like, no wonder you guys are attached at the hip.” 

Annabeth laughed. “You could say that.”

“I’ve got a confession to make,” Darah said, sounding guilty. Annabeth turned to look at her. She looked uncertain. Annabeth made an encouraging  _ mmm  _ and Darah continued. “I had a huge crush on Percy last year.”

Annabeth felt a small grin on her face. “Yeah?”

“Yeah. Emma and I both, actually. We kinda argued about it, too. I mean, he kinda appeared out of nowhere. Well, not out of nowhere, but he hadn’t been on swim team before last year, and then he shows up, and he’s better than all of us, and coach thinks he’s the second coming of Michael Phelps, and he’s in the pool like he’s made to be in the water, and he’s got all these muscles, and…” Darah sighed. “How could we help it?”

“I don’t blame you,” Annabeth said, agreeing with every word.

“Anyway, we both flirted with him shamelessly. But he totally missed the curve on all of it. For a little while…” Darah blushed here, and Annabeth felt her grin begin to grow. She suspected what was coming next. “We thought he might be gay.” Annabeth couldn’t help it. She laughed out loud. Darah smiled too. “You’re not mad?”

“Gods, no,” Annabeth managed. “I’m just...that’s so Percy, though. You’re not wrong that he was probably missing the curve. He’s...not the quickest on the uptake on some of these things.”

“Anyway, and then one day, after practice, we invited him to get pizza with the rest of us, and he just kind of stands there, looking surprised, like, no one had ever invited him to pizza before, and he says he’s going to go hang out with his girlfriend.” Darah laughed lightly. “Emma and I were crushed.”

“I’ll bet,” Annabeth laughed. It was all she could to keep from breaking into hysterics. This was  _ so _ Percy. 

Darah looked abashed, but she smiled gamely. “The boys had a big debate about whether you were real. Emma thought for a while he was using a fake girlfriend as a beard but Gianna said that he didn’t set off her gaydar, and we figured she’d be in the best position to guess. And when Yose came out and Percy was enthusiastically supportive, everyone decided that if he was that supportive, he couldn’t possibly be in the closet.” They laughed. “And then we had our first meet, and you were there, next to his mom. It hit me kind of hard, because I guess I finally believed it. The others didn’t seem to notice you, or how hard you cheered for him. I think Emma did, but we didn’t talk about it much. The boys were all clueless.”

“They’re good like that,” Annabeth agreed. 

Darah snorted, then she sighed. “So yeah, I had a crush on your fiancé. Sorry about that.” 

“You wouldn’t be the first one, probably won’t be the last,” Annabeth sighed. “Though that would be one advantage to getting married. The wedding ring would deter all but the most determined.”

“That’s true. So, who was the first?” Darah asked, sounding curious.

“That I know of?” Annabeth snickered. “That would have been Rachel Elizabeth Dare. She...was interested in him right before Percy and I started dating. She got over it though, so we’re all friends now.”

“Wait, wasn’t she with him in the Band Room when it exploded freshman year?” Darah asked. “I seem to recall she was involved somehow.”

Annabeth shrugged. “Yeah, she was. But again, that was before we started dating. Percy was pretty clueless back then, I don’t think he had any idea that either of us was interested in him.” Annabeth paused. “Though, to be fair, I think he was probably into me, but I didn’t realize it either. Mainly because he didn’t know he was either. It was a confusing time.” Annabeth shuddered. “I hated being 14.”  _ Even without the whole Titan War and Great Prophecy and ‘Percy’s going to die’ going on. _

“God, I wouldn’t go back to being a freshman for all the money in the world,” Darah agreed. “What a miserable time.”

“We all managed,” Annabeth said. “Somehow.”

“Well, it turned out okay for us,” Darah commented, looking over at the boys. She sighed contentedly. “Josh told me Percy told him that he’s serious about the Olympics, is that true?”

“Yeah,” Annabeth affirmed. “We’re going to start making a plan for training this summer. He can train at camp as part of his work there.”

Darah nodded. “He really  _ is _ that good. We’ve looked it up. He had better times at states than about half the other state finals in the country in his events. If he’d started sooner, and was better at some of the more technical strokes…” she shook her head. “Wow.”

“He’s really enjoyed it this year,” Annabeth said.

“You can tell. That’s why we couldn’t understand when he went abroad last year. Coach was mad, because he missed all the big spring meets, and he ripped Percy a new one when he came back, because he said that he’d missed his chance for all the good scholarships. Coach was convinced he could have had a full ride almost anywhere, if the recruiters had gotten a look at him junior year.” 

“Yeah.” Annabeth bit her lip, thinking fast. “It...wasn’t exactly his first choice either. It had to do with his Dad. I can’t really talk about it.” 

Darah shrugged. “We’re just glad he came back. First city championship in 25 years, 1 state title ever.” She grinned. “It was worth the wait for that.”

Annabeth smiled, and looked over at Percy. He was tossing the frisbee and laughing with Josh. He looked like he was having a great time. What she  _ wasn’t _ sure he was aware of, was the mounted NYPD cop behind him, who was trying, in vain, to get his horse to turn away from him. She almost laughed out loud at the poor officer. She wondered what the horse wanted with Percy. Percy finally looked over his shoulder, and stared at the horse briefly. The horse finally allowed the cop to chivy it into motion, and headed off. Percy said something to Josh and they ended the game and rejoined the girls. 

“Hey,” Percy said, sitting down next to Annabeth.

“What’s up?” she asked, jerking her head in the direction of the horse.

Percy rolled his eyes. “Just wanted an acknowledgement from me.” 

“Lord of Horses?” Annabeth smirked at him. He shrugged. 

“Ice cream?” Josh said, interrupting their byplay.

“Yeah, that sounds good,” Percy agreed. “There’s a great spot down at Columbus Circle.”

They chatted as they walked down toward the ice cream stand. Annabeth held hands with Percy as they walked, and Darah and Josh did so as well. 

“Ready for finals?” Josh asked in general. Percy groaned. Darah whimpered. Annabeth snorted. 

“I guess. I’m ready to be done,” Annabeth declared. “As enjoyable as senior year has been, I’m ready for what’s next.”

“I hear that,” Josh agreed. “Just think, in a little bit more than a week, we’ll be on our senior trip to Six Flags.”

“Pity you can’t come, it’d be fun to hang out,” Darah told Annabeth. 

“You guys get the fun day. We get a senior class dinner cruise on the harbor,” Annabeth grumped.

“Oh, that sounds like fun!” Darah noted. “Is it just your class?”

“Yeah, no guests,” she confirmed. “I suppose I could show up at Six Flags on the same day you guys are there,” she said thoughtfully.

“Don’t you still have class?” Percy asked.

“What day is it, Tuesday? Our finals finish on Monday just like yours. I’m not sure what our expectations are for that day. If we don’t have to be in class, maybe I can find a way to get out there. Our cruise is Wednesday night.”

Josh gave a thumbs up. “That’d be cool, if you could meet up with us.”

“I’ll ask around. I’d just have to figure out how to get there,” Annabeth mused.

They arrived at the corner of the park by Columbus Circle. The area was crowded with tourists, as this was a popular spot to board the carriages that carried them through Central Park. Annabeth felt Percy tense up. She looked at him, and found that he was staring over at the carriages. “What is it?” she asked him, low enough that only he could hear her over the traffic of Columbus Circle.

“They’re all terrified,” he said, disgustedly. “All this traffic. But one of them…” Percy turned and pulled away from her. 

“Percy,” she hissed at him. 

“Hey, you guys go on ahead, will you?” Percy said loudly. “I’ll be along in a minute.”

“Percy…” Annabeth warned. He was going to do something stupid, she could tell.

_ “Go,”  _ he mouthed at her. 

She didn’t know what he was on about, but he hadn’t left her much choice at the moment. “Okay,” she said with more certainty than she felt, subtly herding Josh and Darah toward the crosswalk across Columbus Circle. 

“Where’s he going?” Darah asked.

“I dunno,” Annabeth ground out. “But I’m sure he’s got a reason.” Annabeth changed the subject to what kind of ice cream flavor she was thinking of getting, and succeeded in distracting them until they got across the street.

They were just about to go into the store, when an enormous geyser of water shot straight into the air from the direction of the horse carriages. On top of the geyser was a man, one of the carriage drivers by the looks of him, and he was screaming in terror. Tourists and passers by ran and shied away. Remarkably, though, the horses didn’t seem to react. 

“What’s going on?” Josh asked. “Water main break?”

“Probably,” Annabeth muttered.  _ I’m going to kill you, Seaweed Brain. _

They gawped like the rest of the crowd that gathered on the sidewalk. Most people watched the man flying in the air, but Annabeth watched the horses. She caught a glimpse of Percy moving amongst the carriages, trying to move quickly but covertly. Finally, horses, freed from their carriages, began galloping toward the park in a rush. 

_ Oh, you noble idiot,  _ Annabeth thought. But she loved him all the same. 

One horse did not run, though. It staggered out of it’s traces, and almost kind of folded up on itself on the sidewalk. Percy knelt down next to it, stroking it’s muzzle. Annabeth grabbed Darah’s arm. “C’mon,” she said. “There’s Percy.”

They dodged back across the stopped traffic and ran up to Percy. 

"What happened?" Josh asked, as Annabeth knelt next to him.

“I dunno,” Percy said distractedly. “Fire hydrant, looks like. Must have spooked the horses.” He was stroking the horse along it’s nose, and it stared up at him in what looked like relief. 

“What’s wrong with this one?” Annabeth asked. 

Percy swore creatively in Greek. “Shouldn’t even be here. She’s with foal. I don’t know how she was even let out of the barn.” 

Darah gasped, and got down next to Percy on the other side. She put her hands on the mare’s flank. “Poor thing. She must be in a lot of pain.”

“Have you much experience with horses?” Percy asked.

“I spent a week last summer on a farm upstate, doing large animal work,” she said. “But...other than that…”

“I think she’s…” Percy paused, and looked around. A police car was pulling up to Columbus Circle, though the water was still flowing from the hydrant, keeping the unfortunate carriage driver aloft. A fire truck was also approaching. But nobody seemed to be paying them much attention. Annabeth  _ had _ thought that was good thing, but she was realizing they were in over their head. Percy seemed to realize this too, but he spied a stray horse browsing the bushes nearby. He seemed to stare at it for a moment, and it turned to look at them, and after a brief pause, galloped away into the park.

“She’s going to have the colt very soon. I don’t think she can wait much longer,” Percy told them. 

“What are we going to do? Should I go for help?” Josh asked.

“Yes,” Darah began, but then they all heard the pounding of hooves, and they all turned to see the mounted cop from earlier come galloping up from the park. Or, well, more like, carried by the horse. The cop was swearing and hauling on his reins. The horse, winded and blowing, ducked his head toward Percy. 

“Thanks, Midnight,” Percy called. “Officer! You need to call a vet, this horse is about to give birth.” 

The cop looked around bewildered at the chaos. “What?” He was professional, though, and he dismounted quickly. Crossing to them, and crouching across from Percy, he put his hands on her flank, feeling gently. “You’re right,” he said. He stood up and spoke into his shoulder radio, calling mounted police headquarters to send their on call vet as quickly as possible. “Whose horse is this?” he asked.

Percy hooked his thumb toward the carriage driver who was still screaming, swearing and shrieking from the top of the hydrant geyser. The firemen were there now, preparing to turn off the hydrant valve. 

The cop nodded, waved at a couple of his fellows who were supervising the procedure. Other carriage drivers were scattered around, calling to their horses, or chasing them into the park, where they had disappeared into the trees. A female office jogged over to them. “When he gets down, don’t let him wander off,” he told her. “I have some questions for him about his horse.” She nodded, and returned to watching the hydrant operation. 

The mounted cop returned to them and knelt down next to Percy. “What’s your name?”

“Percy,” he replied. “That’s Darah, she’s going to college to be a vet,” he pointed at her. 

“Well, I think you’re going to get some practical experience,” the cop announced. “You,” he pointed at Annabeth, “Can you find a container for some of this water? I think we’re going to need some.”

“She’s thirsty,” Percy added, stroking the mare’s muzzle. The mare was nudging him as affectionately as she could under the circumstances. No one commented on this, though Josh did shoot him an odd look.

Annabeth looked around. The firemen had just about gotten the carriage driver down from the hydrant. She spied a collection of feed buckets and she nodded to Josh. “C’mon,” she said. And they raced over. They dumped the oats of the buckets and went to the hydrant. There was still water flowing out of the top. 

“Hey, what are you kids doing?” a firefighter asked.

“They’re with me,” the mounted cop called. “We need water over here.”

The firefighter looked over at the laboring horse. “Holy shit.”

The carriage driver stopped sputtering and looked over. “Hey! Get away from my horse!” he demanded.

“Your horse, huh pal?” the female cop said. “We’ll have some questions about that.” She took his arm in a very professional ‘come along’ fashion. 

“This kid starts yammering about my horse being pregnant and not fit to pull a carriage. Stupid thing’s just lazy, I tells him, and then the next thing I know, I’m flying in the air on a water spout, what the fuck is going on around here?”

“I’m sure the Department of Health will be happy to talk to you about it, pal,” the cop said with some anger in her voice. “Since your horse is about to give birth here on the sidewalk.”

The carriage driver deflated, going from blustery to fearful in about three seconds flat. 

Annabeth and Josh carried their buckets of water to the horse. Annabeth set hers in front of the horse’s muzzle, and she drank. She looked up and regarded her with her wide eyes, and snuffled. Percy chuckled. She glanced at him, but he shook his head in a “not now” gesture. 

A firefighter joined them. “What do you guys need?” 

The mounted cop shook his head. “I don’t know. They trained us to ride them and care for them, but not midwife them. My horse is a gelding,” he gestured to the police horse, which was munching on a bush at the edge of the park. “I did help deliver a baby once, on a call when I was rookie.”

“That’s more than me,” the firefighter admitted.

“The kid seems to know what he’s doing, and the girl’s going to be a vet.” 

“I’ve seen one,” Darah said, sounding nervous but determined. She stood up. “I need that water. I should have soap, but this will have to do.” She took the water and rinsed down her hands and arms, and then went to the rear of the mare.

Annabeth squatted next to Percy, with Josh across from them, not sure what to do. The cop and the firefighter went to see what they could do with Darah. 

“Not exactly what I had in mind for today,” Josh said breathlessly. “But at least we’re getting to do a good deed.” 

“That’s us,” Percy commented. “Just like the Boy Scouts, we get to do our daily good deed.” 

Annabeth laughed, she couldn’t help it. Percy kept stroking the mare’s muzzle. “That’s a girl,” he said. “Good girl, Ekaterin. It’s okay.” 

“How do you know it’s name?” Josh asked.

“Um. The driver was yelling at her, before I stopped him,” he said awkwardly. 

And just how Percy had  _ stopped him _ was a subject Annabeth intended to take up with her idiotic, noble fiancé later...at length.

Percy looked up sharply. Darah said. “Okay, I think we’re doing this,” she said. Her voice wavered a little.

Percy kept rubbing the horse, as it panted, grunting. “It’s okay, it’s okay,” he repeated. The cop’s mount came over and stood next to Percy’s shoulder, as if he was also lending his support. 

Annabeth hadn’t felt this helpless in a while, but she did her best to comfort Ekaterin to the limits of her ability. 

“Okay,” Darah called out. “We’ve got legs!”

A few moments later, it was all over, just as a large van pulled up, wearing NYPD colors and with the legend “Mountain Unit Emergency Services” painted on the side. Darah had the colt in her lap, cooing over it. “It looks healthy,” she said.

The vet joined them, and examined the colt, and it’s mother, and pronounced both healthy, though the mare was underweight, and showed signs of neglect, which would only compound the issues for the carriage driver and his company. 

“You kids did good work,” he said, complementing them. 

“Thanks,” Darah said shakily. 

“What’s going to happen next?” Percy wanted to know. 

“We’ll take this lady and her little one back to our stables for now, until we can figure out the next steps. Don’t worry, they’ll be well taken care of,” the vet promised. 

They accepted the thanks of everyone involved, including all the police, and the firefighters. The NYPD vet took their picture with the two horses before they were loaded into the vehicle for transport, and told them it would go on the official NYPD social media feeds. They reluctantly said goodbye to Ekaterin and her colt, with Ekaterin giving Percy and Darah extra nudges with her muzzle before the doors shut. 

They waved as the van pulled away. It was at this point that Darah realized she was disgusting. 

“Well, I guess it’s a good thing that this was an older tank top,” she said, sadly. “I think I’m going to have to burn this one.

“Well, how about this,” Josh suggested. “Why don’t you find someplace to at least wash your hands and your arms, and Percy and I will go get the ice cream to go, and we’ll eat it in the park before I take you home to change.” 

Everyone thought this was a good plan, and Annabeth went with Darah into the ladies room at a Starbucks to get cleaned up.

“That was some good work back there,” Annabeth told her. “You’re going to make a great vet.”

“Thanks,” Darah said, scrubbing up her arms with soapy water. “I was scared shitless, but I guess it turned out okay.”

“Well, sometimes, it’s the only way to start. Just think, when you get to veterinary school, you can say ‘I’ve already done that’.”

“Well, that’s true,” she allowed. “I hadn’t been planning to do much large animal work,” she admitted. “I figured I’d be more dogs and cats, and small furry cute things, like bunnies and guinea pigs.” She shrugged. “Of course, it all depends on where I go looking for work.”

“Connecticut has a lot of farmland,” Annabeth pointed out with a grin.

“What’s in Connecticut?” Darah furrowed her eyebrows.

“ESPN headquarters.” She flashed the other girl a grin. Darah flicked soap at her, and Annabeth laughed.

They ate their ice cream and made their goodbyes, and Percy and Annabeth walked back through Central Park toward Percy’s apartment.

“So, do you want to yell at me for being an idiot?” Percy asked after a short silence.

Annabeth sighed. “Yes. But no. You know that was stupid.” She had been angry at him, but it had drained away in the heat of the moment. And the calm realization that this was who Percy was. He was going to be noble and impulsive and all those things. And really, wasn’t that the person she’d fallen in love with? If she tried to change him, would he really still be Percy? She sighed again. 

“She was about to give birth, right there in the carriage harness,” Percy said, reasonably. “I had to do something.”

“I suppose,” she admitted. “But did you have to break the hydrant?” She  _ would _ really prefer it if he didn’t break public property, though. 

“It kept him out of the way,” Percy said defensively. “And it was better than flushing him down the storm drain, which I also considered.”

“Well, that much is true,” Annabeth agreed. She sighed. “Just...oh, I don’t even know anymore Percy. I just don’t know how we’re supposed to live normal lives.”

“We just...live,” he shrugged. “We didn’t choose this, but we have to make the best of it.” He put his arm around her. “We make our own normal.”

She leaned into him, sighing. “So, what was the horse saying about me?”

“Oh, Ekaterin? She was asking if you were my mate. I told her yes, and she wanted to know if we had a foal. I told her no, and she wanted to know why not. I told her we weren’t ready yet.” He chuckled again.

Annabeth shook her head. “We’re not even married yet, and even horses are pushing kids on us.” She laughed.

They walked in silence for a bit. “This week is going to suck,” he said finally. 

“Finals?” she asked.

“Yeah...I hate tests.”

“I know. But we’ll get through it.”

“I know. It’s just...stressful,” Percy sighed. “Do you have anything else going on this week?” he asked.

“We have that join meeting with Doc on Wednesday,” she reminded him. 

“Oh yeah, right. Can’t forget that.”

“And I have a dentist appointment, of all things,” she told him. “Just a check up, but it’s on Thursday after school.” She was not looking forward to that, actually. She wasn’t a fan of the dentist.

He nodded. “Last day of class, for me. We’re not swimming this week, because of finals.”

“First day of finals for me,” she said. “Ours go three days, Thursday, Friday and Monday. I’m mostly ready. The AP classes are all having us turn in projects, anyway.”

“Lucky,” Percy snorted. “Hey, are we still planning to go out to California to visit your dad and look for housing, right after graduation?”

“Planning on it,” Annabeth said. “I’m looking into train tickets, and such. We’ll need to be back right after the fourth of July, my internship starts right after that.”

“Okay,” he said. “Who’s paying for the tickets?” 

“My dad. I have enough money left from him to cover it. We’re going to need to figure some things out this summer in terms of finances,” she sighed. 

“Yeah,” Percy said. “We may still need to find some jobs. Just to cover things like cell phones and pizza.”

She grinned at him. “The important things.”

“Well, yeah. Pizza is critical to life function,” he explained.

“Oh, Seaweed Brain.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Love it? Hate it? Want to critique my knowledge of veterinary practice? Email: TheAuthor@no2ticonderoga.com
> 
> Twitter: No_2Ticonderoga


	47. 47: Percy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't usually post on back to back days, but I was just way too excited to get to this one. Honestly, from a narrative point of view, this was one of my favorite chapters to write, and I just got giddy all over again about it while I did the final proofread. This one and the next one have some of the most heartwarming moments I think I wrote. So, yeah. You WILL like it. That's an order! 😝

Wednesday afternoon, Percy made his way out to Brooklyn. Annabeth was meeting him there. It was easier than trying to connect before their appointment. She was actually waiting when he arrived.

“Hey,” he said, giving her a kiss. “How was the last day of class?”

“It was fine,” she said. “A little weird, but okay.” She shrugged.

“Hey, you kids,” Doc Berger called, emerging from his office. “C’mon back, let’s talk.”

The followed Doc back into his office, and took their regular seats, with Doc settling in behind his desk. “So, what’s this about?” he asked. “Percy was a little vague on the phone, other than, ‘it wasn’t an emergency’.” Doc used his fingers to make air quotes. 

Annabeth plunged in. “I think Percy is pushing to get married because he’s trying to prove he’s better than his Dad.”

“I think Annabeth is holding off getting married because she’s still scared I’m going to leave her, because everyone she ever loved has left,” Percy added.

Doc blew out a long breath. “Well, that’s at least putting your cards on the table.”

“We had a good teacher,” Percy replied smiling. 

“Mmm. Okay,” Doc began. “So, we’ll start with you, Percy. What do you think of what Annabeth said?”

Percy hesitated. He had been giving it a lot of thought, because he knew that Doc would ask. “I don’t know. Maybe?” he said. “I mean, I won’t lie. Am I a little angry at dad, for leaving mom on her own? Sure. But I also know she played a part in that decision.” Berger made a go on motion with his hand. “So, yeah. Sure, okay. I want to be a better husband than my dad. Or my stepdad. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that idea.” He shrugged. “But I don’t really think it’s…” he paused. “I don’t think it has anything to do with wanting to get married this summer.”

“Do you?” Berger asked, leaning in and giving him that look. Percy hated that look, because it was the one that said.  _ I don’t believe you. Dig deeper. _

“I mean,” Percy tried again. “I think mostly, I just want to get married because I want to spend every possible moment with her. And getting married is…”

“Not the only way to do that,” Berger pointed out. “You could move in together, without actually getting married.

Annabeth made a small noise of agreement.

“Well, yeah,” Percy said uneasily. “I suppose that’s true. I just…”

“You don’t like that,” Berger said flatly.

“Well...it’s not…” Percy couldn't put his finger on the word he was looking for. 

“Permanent,” Annabeth said suddenly in a tone of much enlightenment. “It’s not permanent.”

Berger glanced at her quellingly, interrupting each other was not usual therapy procedure, but she didn’t interject further, and he looked back at Percy.

For his part, Percy felt like a light had shined on a dark corner of his mind, cracking open a lid.

“Yeah,” he managed finally. “It’s not permanent.”

“Permanent is important to you?” Berger asked.

“Yes,” Percy admitted. “So many things in our lives have been...not permanent. I...I…”

“You want to have something stable that you can count on, that’s going to be there. All the time. No matter what.”

“Well, yeah…” Percy stammered. “And I thought…”

“Getting married would make that a reality,” Berger finished. “Because marriage is permanent. Or at least it’s supposed to be, if you do it right.”

“Right.”

“Which you intend to.”

“Right.”

“Because you’re better than your dad at keeping your word.”

“Well...yeah.”

Berger paused, and glanced at Annabeth, who looked like she was having a hard time keeping her mouth shut. He put down the slinky and leaned forward at his desk. “Why do you think marriage is more permanent than what you have now?” Out of the corner of his eye, Percy saw Annabeth lean back in her chair, as a sign that Berger had voiced the thoughts in her own head. 

Percy opened his mouth to respond, but couldn’t. He didn’t have the words to explain it. He didn’t know how. “I…it just…”

“I don’t think Annabeth is the only one who is scared here,” Berger commented. “Deep down, this isn’t about your dad, or your first stepdad.” Berger leaned back in his chair and picked up his slinky again. “Tell me, just why are you trying to make it up with Juno, again?”

“I...I don’t want her messing with us anymore,” he replied, taken aback a little by the change in tack. “She’s the Goddess of Marriage, she could…”

“Make it all go away,” Berger waved a hand as if dismissing something into the ether. “Somehow.”

Percy swallowed past the lump in his throat. 

“You’re terrified it’s all going to disappear,” Berger pointed. “Marriage, as you see it, is just one more way to try and prevent that.”

“Well, yeah,” Percy responded. “I’m always scared. I’m scared that we’ll run into a monster, or that something will go wrong, or…”

“Or, or, or.” Berger balanced his slinky in his two hands. “Moving in together is just...temporary. There’s nothing stopping either one of you from waking up one morning and...walking away.” He dropped a hand away, and the slinky did it’s thing to the desk below his hand. “But marriage. Marriage is permanent. Marriage means something.” Percy nodded. “Let me ask you...do you really believe that she would walk away from you?” Berger looked up.

Percy was caught off guard again by the sudden change in direction, which is probably precisely what Doc intended, because Percy blurted out without thinking. “What if she realizes I’m not good enough for her?” 

Annabeth sputtered in indignation. 

“Aaaaaaand there it is,” Doc announced triumphantly. 

With that the emotions came boiling up, and Percy began to pour them out in a flood. “We’re 17, she’s going to realize eventually that I’m not that great.” Percy felt his eyes fill up. “I don’t know what I’m doing with my life. I don’t know what I really want to do for work, no clue how I’m going to support myself after school’s out, and I’m not smart, not like her. I’m...nobody.”

“And someday she’ll figure this out, and she’ll leave,” Berger finished, brutally. Percy looked away. “Except, if you get married now, by the time she figures this out, she’ll be stuck with you," Berger declared. 

“That’s not…” Percy retorted hotly as his head whipped back, but then trailed off. “That’s not entirely fair.”

“No, you’re right, it’s unduly harsh,” Doc admitted. “But it’s what it amounts to, right? You want to keep her from running away before she realizes you aren’t worth it.”

“Percy,” Annabeth spoke up. She was reaching a hand toward him. He took it and looked at her. She had tears on her face too. “Do you really think that?” Berger let the interruption pass, and instead leaned back in his chair, picked up his slinky and observed them. 

Percy looked away. “You could do better than slumming with me.”

“Excuse me? Slumming it? With a son of the Big Three? Arguably the most powerful demigod of the age?” Despite the small reassurance this gave him, he shrugged this off. 

“I mean academically. Mentally. All that...brain stuff.” He waved a hand inarticulately.

Annabeth snorted. “Brain stuff? Well, you’re certainly not winning any points in that department right now. But if you think for one iota of a second that matters to me where you’re concerned, well...you’ve even less ‘brain stuff’ than I’d given you credit for.” She stood up, and came up behind his chair, and wrapped her arms around his neck. She whispered into his ear. “You’re smarter than you give yourself credit for, Seaweed Brain, and even if you weren’t, it doesn’t matter to me because there are a million other things that you are that make me fall in love with you everytime I look at you.” 

Percy leaned into her embrace, squeezed his eyes against the tears that leaked out, and sighed. “Thanks, Wise Girl. I love you, too.” He drank in her scent, as she held him. 

They remained like that for another moment, and then Annabeth let go. “Okay,” she said. “I’m getting a crick in my back bending over like that.” She sat back down in her chair. “Percy, just because I’m hesitant about getting married this summer doesn’t mean I don’t love you. And no, I’m never going to get tired of you. I’m not going anywhere,” she said firmly. “Ever.”

“So, if that’s the case,  _ are _ you afraid of getting married?” Doc asked. “Why would marriage be scary?”

“I...well...there’s a difference between not being scared and not wanting to rush off and get married the day after Percy turns 18,” she pointed out, but it rang a little hollow, to Percy’s ear anyway.

“That’s fair,” Berger allowed. “But is that the only reason?”

“Um.” Annabeth bit her lip. 

“I’ll allow that we’re probably dealing with some projection issues,” Doc waved at Percy, who sighed. “But even allowing for that, I do think there’s hesitation. Don’t you owe Percy the same honesty?”

Annabeth took a breath. “I’m scared, yeah.”

“About what?” Berger prompted gently.

There was a long pause. Annabeth looked at Percy, and the back at Doc, and then out the window, before returning her eyes to Percy. “I don’t know how to be a wife,” she said finally. “My mother is a maiden, with little time or interest in romantic love. My stepmom and I…” she grimaced, and Doc made a little wave with his hand to acknowledge this without elaboration. “Pretty much the only female role model in terms of marriage that I’ve ever had has been Percy’s mom...and...I don’t know that I can live up to that,” she admitted.

Percy looked over at her. There was so much he wanted to say in that moment, but he knew it would have to wait.  _ You don’t have to be anyone you’re not,  _ he thought.  _ I don’t want you to be anything more than you are. _

“Do you feel like you’d have to be just like her to be a good wife?” Doc asked in his place.

“No,” Annabeth allowed. “That’s not quite it...it’s just...I don’t know, like, who do I turn to? All the wives I remember from movies and TV stay home and cook dinner and I can’t cook very well, Percy does most of the cooking, I don’t really bake, and I...I hate cleaning...though I am the neat one, and all the other stuff, like being a mom…” Percy’s eyebrows shot up to his hairline at that “I...I just don’t know anything about any of it!”

“So,” Doc said. “You,” he pointed at Percy. “Want to get married right away because you’re afraid she’ll eventually realize you’re not good enough for her, and figure if you’re married she won’t leave. You,” Doc pointed at Annabeth. “Don’t want to get married because you’re not ready to put on the apron and get barefoot and pregnant in the kitchen.” He steepled his fingers.

Percy and Annabeth looked at each other. Annabeth's cheeks were tinged pink. Percy was sure his were matching hers.

"Annabeth has already spoken about your fears, at least some, so Percy, why don't you start?" It less a question than a command.

“Annabeth, I don't need you to be anyone other than who you are," he assured her. "You are the greatest partner I could ask for. You don't need to do anything else to be my wife. You support me, put up with me, and you love me. I don't need anything else.” He shook his head. “All you need to do is just be you.” 

She looked at him, and Percy could tell she was on the edge of tears again. These weren’t the bad kind, though. “Percy, I…”

“No, listen,” he insisted. “I don’t want a wife who’s barefoot and pregnant...well, okay, that will be cool, _ someday _ , but like, literally, not the stereotype, but I mean, I don’t want a house wife. I want the woman who kicks ass and takes names, and designs buildings, and builds amazing things. If I end up doing the cooking, that’s fine. I like cooking…”

“Except eggs.”

“That was  _ literally _ one time, and it’s irrelevant. My point is, I don’t need you to become some perfect, what’s the place, with the movie Rachel was talking about, with the place…?”

“Stepford,” Doc supplied from the sidelines, managing to read his thoughts. 

“Stepford wife,” Percy finished. “I just need you to be Annabeth. Because Annabeth is the person I fell in love with, and the person I want to marry, I don’t need any of that other stuff.” He finished, taking a deep breath. “So...yeah.”

She was crying, like really crying now. He got up and went to her, crouching down in front of her chair. He put his finger under her chin, lifting her eyes up to meet his. “Neither one of us is perfect. I’m an ADHD mess on my good days, and slow on the uptake. I’m impatient and impulsive. And stubborn. And maybe you’re not perfect, either. But you’re perfect for me.”

Annabeth didn't say anything for a moment, and then she hugged him tightly around the neck. "Oh, Seaweed Brain," she whispered. "I love you." She pulled away. "I just worry that I won't live up to your expectations."

Percy snorted. "What expectations? If you love me, and treat me kindly, and communicate with me, that's pretty much my level of expectation. I know Paul is awesome, but he is like a saint or something. Remember, my baseline for marriage is Gabe, so the bar is pretty fucking low."

Annabeth sniffed and snorted a chuckle at this. "Fair point," she allowed.

"So, please don't put all these expectations on yourself. I certainly don't." He hugged her tighter for a moment.

"I'll try," she promised. "It all connects, doesn't it?” she sniffed and wiped her eyes. “I just want to be best at everything. Including your wife."

It was Percy's turn to chuckle. "You will be the best wife I could ever have, just by being you."

She smiled at him, and then it faded to a look of concern. "And you are the best I could ever have. So why on sacred Olympus would I ever leave you, Percy? I would no more abandon you than you could leave me. I don't need a wedding ring to convince me to stay. You'd need godly intervention to keep me away. Demonstrably, even that doesn't always work."

Percy nodded. "I...I'm sorry," he said. "It's just…"

"Sometimes you feel like you're unworthy of love because you spent most of your formative years being told you're a screw up and otherwise emotionally and physically abused?" she finished for him.

"Well, yeah," he admitted. "You're just too good for me."

"Remind me when we get back to camp to check with Nico to make sure that asshole is still suffering enough," she growled, and hugged him again. 

They didn't say anything for another moment or two. Then Doc cleared his throat. Percy reluctantly let go and turned, sitting on the floor at Annabeth's feet. She reached down and put a hand on his shoulder and he reached up and held it. "So…" Doc asked.

"We can wait," Percy said.

"We can do it this summer," Annabeth said at the same time.

"Wait, what?" They both said.

Berger laughter heartily. "Oh, if only all my couples sessions were as entertaining as yours are," he laughed. "I think you guys are in a better place to talk this out now, though, so I'll let you work it out on your own from here. However, for what it's worth, and speaking as the voice of experience, here, as a friend and not a therapist, I'm with Annabeth on this one. Two months is not enough time to plan a wedding."

Percy shrugged. "Yeah, I'm beginning to see that. There are a lot more logistics than I originally thought."

"There's still the housing question," Annabeth pointed out. 

"We'll figure that out, somehow," Percy said. 

"Housing question?" Berger asked.

"If we move in together at school, we'll need an apartment," Percy explained.

"We had been thinking about married student housing," Annabeth added, "So we wouldn't have to rent privately, and it would be covered as part of the tuition payment."

Berger looked at them. "No one told you?" he asked in confusion. 

"Told us what?" Percy asked.

"As a former praetor, you are entitled to accommodations in the city in perpetuity," he explained. "One of the job perks."

"Doc, I keep telling you, I was only praetor for like...36 hours. Then I helped practically start a civil war," Percy said. 

Berger shook his head. "Doesn't matter. Once you've been raised on the shield, it's for life. I remember in a Legion history class, learning about a praetor who’d been raised on a shield, and been crippled the following morning in battle. He retired to New Rome and stayed the rest of his life.”

“That’s a cheery story,” Annabeth murmured. 

Doc shrugged. “Still, the principle holds. Talk to Praetor Zhang, or Praetor Ramírez-Arellano, when you go out to California. I bet they’ll tell you the same.”

Percy and Annabeth exchanged a look, and Annabeth shrugged first. “We’ll look into it,” Annabeth said, not entirely convinced, but game.

Berger nodded. “So, how are you two feeling about today’s session?” he asked. “Do you feel like you unpacked some things?”

“Yeah,” Percy admitted. “I mean, it was good to peel back the layers a little.” Percy felt a little raw from the emotions, but it felt ok. That’s how it was supposed to be, he figured.

“Understanding motivations is important,” Doc allowed with a grin. “Especially when they’re your own. So you guys are going to be able to work this through?”

“Definitely,” Annabeth said. She looked over at Percy. “So, you want to see me barefoot and pregnant someday?” she asked with a grin. “I didn’t miss that.”

“Well, sure, I mean, we’re going to have kids someday, right?” he replied.

“And I have to walk around barefoot the entire time?”

“No, of course not. It’s just, I like it when you’re barefoot, it’s cute, and like, when we’re at home, it’s I dunno, intimate. And they’re cute, especially when you paint your toes, and…” he floundered. 

“What, do you have a foot fetish or something?” she asked.

“No,” he protested. “Not like that, it’s just...well, all of you is cute, and…” This was not going well.

Berger rolled his eyes. “I think we’re done here.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Love it? Hate it? Email: TheAuthor@no2ticonderoga.com
> 
> Twitter: No_2Ticonderoga
> 
> I love Doc Berger so much. Not going to lie, my next project for AO3, when I get there (and who knows when that will be), might just be a whole series of mini-stories where characters from different fandoms have appointments with each fandom's version of Doc. 😂


	48. 48: Annabeth

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It has been a loooooong week, my friends. I'm glad I finally got to escape into my happy place to get this ready for publishing. I'm almost caught up to where I'm actually writing, which is exciting! Enjoy!

After they left Doctor Berger’s office, Percy took her out to dinner at the Panera near the dorm. 

“Are you ready for finals tomorrow?” Percy asked, as they took their food back to their table. They’d not talked of the wedding since leaving the office, though it was weighing on her mind. It was like they had some unspoken consent to hold that off until they’d had food. 

“Yeah. They shouldn’t be too much trouble at this point,” she admitted. She did feel confident about it, though that wouldn’t stop her from going back to her room to study like mad for the rest of the evening. “What about you? Tomorrow’s the last day of class.”

“Yeah, I’m trying not to think about it too much,” he admitted.

“A little overwhelming?” Annabeth asked.

“Yeah...it’s like...I never expected to make it this far,” he said. “By all rights, we should both be dead by now.” He took a bite from his sandwich. 

She nodded. “With all that we’ve come through? Probably,” she agreed. She stole some of Percy’s chips. He half-heartedly tried to swat her hand away. She laughed, and then sobered. “We didn’t talk about it with Doc, but that’s an argument though.” She couldn’t really keep the topic at bay any longer.

Percy nodded. “Yeah, I know. But I figured we both knew. It kind goes without saying, right? Just because we’ve made it this far, it doesn’t mean that we’re going to get old.”

“ _ That’s  _ what I try not to think about,” Annabeth admitted.

“Me too,” Percy agreed. He reached out and held her hand. “We can’t live in fear of the unknown, though. I mean, we could get hit by a bus, too. And that doesn’t have anything to do with being a demigod.”

Annabeth nodded. “Fair. But our odds are worse than the average mortal.”

“Oh, I’m not saying they’re not,” Percy waved a hand. “But as much as I want to get married, I don’t know that ‘we might die’ is really a foundation I want to put down.” He shrugged. “Then again, I don’t really want to waste time either. Especially when that’s time I could be spending with you.”

Annabeth smiled. “I love you, too,” she told him. “I want to be with you, too.”

“I sleep better when you’re there. Like, every time we’re together, I don’t have nightmares,” he told her.

Annabeth felt herself blush. “I...yeah,” she managed. “It’s better when you’re there.”

Percy nodded sagely. “So, logically…”

“We should be together as soon as we can,” she finished. Logically, it all made sense. But another part of her mind rebelled against the haste. It was nearly the end of June. Could she really have a wedding in August? At the moment, she didn’t even know if she could reach half the people she wanted to invite to the wedding. Granted, they were going out to California in person at the end of the month, which would connect them with Piper and the rest. But would it be enough time? “I just...we don’t even know where the wedding would be yet.”

“No, but then, we hadn’t decided if that’s what we wanted to do yet.”

Annabeth nodded. “Right.” She sighed. “I still don’t know what I want to do.” She looked at him. “You know that doesn’t mean I don’t want to get married, right? I’m just confused.” 

“Yeah,” he admitted. “You’re not going to decide I’m not worth the effort.”

“No,” she declared firmly. “Get that disgusting through right out of your head.” He nodded. “Besides, don’t you think treating marriage as an anchor isn’t exactly what it’s for? Did you think you could trap me?” she asked him.

“It sounds creepy when you say it like that,” he sighed. “No, you’re right. I don’t know what I was thinking, I was just…”

“Confused, and insecure and all that other stuff.” She reached across and took his hand. “I get it, Percy, I do.” She stroked the back of his knuckles with her thumb. “But you can see where that was not healthy.” He nodded. “That being said, let’s talk some of this through, like, seriously. Maybe if we start to organize some of the details, it will start to make sense to me. Let’s start with the bridal party.”

He perked up. “Okay, well, Grover’s going to be best man,” he announced. “And I’d like to ask Josh to be a groomsman, at least. Along with Jason, Frank and Leo. Oh, and Tyson, of course.”

“Gods, there’s a crew,” Annabeth laughed. “Poor Josh. My list is almost worse. I’ve got Thalia, and Piper and Rachel...along with Kirsten. And maybe Ava and Kassandra as well, and Juniper, and Hazel.”

Percy chuckled. “So much for a small wedding. How many is that for you, like, eight, right?”

Annabeth counted on her fingers. “Yeah.”

“I’m going to have to come up with more guys,” he muttered. “Oh, I forgot Nico...do you think he would do it?” Percy looked uncertain. “I mean, I’d want him to do it, but I don’t know how he would feel about it? 

Annabeth pulled an uncertain face. “Um...I don’t know. That’s...a really good question.”

“Will would make him do it, if I asked,” Percy reasoned. “But do you think he’d be uncomfortable?” He looked concerned. “Like, I don’t want to offend him by not asking, but I don’t want to make him feel weird. Do you think it would be weird?” 

Annabeth honestly didn’t know. And it wasn’t as if she hand anything she could compare it to. Well, she supposed she could try and imagine what it might have like to be invited to be in Percy and Rachel’s wedding, in some weird alternate universe, but that just seemed so ridiculous that she didn’t think it was worth trying to picture. She snorted involuntarily.

“What?” Percy asked.

“Nothing,” she waved this off. “Stupid thought.” She tried to return her mind to the problem of Nico. “I think we should at least ask him. But not make him. And besides, he’s with Will now. It’s not as if he isn’t happy. He says he’s over it.”

Percy nodded, but still looked concerned. “Yeah. I suppose. We’ll ask him together, when the time comes.” He shook his head as if to clear it. “Who else? I still need more. Kamal, maybe. Who’s going to be your maid of honor?”

“Ummm,” Annabeth hesitated. Thalia was like a sister to her, though they’d grown apart some since she’d joined the Hunters. Piper was her romantic confidant, or had been last summer, and until their communications had gone out. Rachel...even Kirsten… “I don’t know,” she admitted. Her fingers itched for pen and paper to start a pro/con list.

“If you want my opinion, it’s Thals,” he offered. “You and she are like family, right?”

In her heart, she knew Percy was right. “Probably,” she admitted. “I was just...we don’t see her and…”

Percy shook his head, “Doesn’t matter. You’ve known her the longest, and your relationship is special.”

“True,” she allowed. 

“And really, beyond our close friends, who will we invite?” he asked rhetorically. “Honestly, it feels like we could just invite the wedding party and be good. Well, aside from our parents, that is.”

“Our parents? Both sides?” she raised an eyebrow at this.

“Well, we’d have to at least invite them,” Percy pointed out. “Wouldn’t be polite not to invite someone to their own kids wedding.” He took a bite of his sandwich and spoke around it. “I mean, maybe they wouldn’t be able to come.”

She slapped his arm. “Don’t talk with your mouth full.” She sighed. “If we invite them we’d have to invite...well, all of them. Or they’d get offended,” she pointed out. She poked at her salad, trying to decide if she was full or not. 

Percy cocked his head. “Would they though?”

“You know we’d have to invite Piper’s mom. And you know how she feels about us. And that means she’d bring  _ him.”  _ She shuddered at the thought. 

“Gods, really? Would he even want to come? He hates me.” Percy chewed his lip in troubled thought. 

“And you’re the one campaigning to get on Hera’s good side, so we should invite her. Marriage is her realm, after all,” Annabeth pointed out. “Which means…”

“No way,” he interrupted. “He would never, he’s too high and mighty for that.” Percy shook his head. 

“And I suppose we should invite Mr. D…Camp Director and all that,” Annabeth added.

“Oy. Stop.” Percy ordered. “I’m getting a headache.”

“I’d like to invite Hestia,” she said. “You are my home and hearth, after all.” She smiled at him.

He rolled his eyes at her, but she could tell he was tickled. And he liked Hestia too.

“Fine,” he said. “I guess we’ll just invite them all. They’ll come or not,” he said. “My money is on none of them coming.”

“Well, some probably won’t,” Annabeth allowed. “I admit, I do think it’s far fetched that your uncles will come.”

“Uncle _ s _ ,” he pronounced the plural. “Oh, gods, I forgot about him. No, I should hope not. Nico’s dad is....not being one probably wants at a wedding.”

“No, I agree,” Annabeth concurred. Though the image of the rows of chairs immediately behind the front row filled with their various squabbling aunts, uncles, grandfathers, cousins, nieces and nephews was both amusing and terrifying at the same time.

“There are probably quite a few folks from Camp,” Percy admitted. “Your siblings...Will. The Stolls. We should probably invite Clarisse.”

Clarisse, aside from leading the charge that had dumped them in the Canoe Lake the day they started dating, had mellowed some in the last year. At least where Percy and Annabeth were concerned. She’d told Annabeth last year on the one year anniversary of Manhattan, just after they’d gotten back from Greece, that Percy and Annabeth getting together had been one of Silena’s great hopes. She hadn’t said anything else, but Annabeth suspected that Clarisse had a soft spot for them because Clarisse knew that it would make Silena’s happy to know they were together. 

Annabeth shook her head. “I don’t know how we’re going to do this. It makes total sense to have this wedding at camp, but I really want to invite our mortal friends.” She was whining, she could tell. But she was tired.

Percy shrugged. “Well, there’s one other option,” he said. 

“What’s that?” Annabeth asked.

“Well, we could get married at City Hall, and then have a big party when we figure out the details,” he pointed out.

Annabeth considered this. It wasn’t that the thought hadn’t crossed her mind, exactly. “I know, but…” she sighed. “Percy, this is going to sound crazy, but I want a  _ real _ wedding.” She’d never been a girly girl, disdainful of most of those kinds of things, but ever since she was a little girl, she’d always dreamed of a wedding. At first, it had been for her parents. She didn’t know where she’d gotten the idea, maybe TV, or maybe a magazine in a doctor’s waiting room. She’d dreamed of being a flower girl, and seeing her mom, dressed in white, and her dad in a tuxedo. When she’d gotten a bit older, she begun to think of it in terms of herself. Which was ridiculous, of course, given that she’d been at camp by then, and she should have had more important things to worry about. But once in a while, in the quiet dark of the Athena cabin at night, she’d let her mind wander to what it might have been like to be normal, and have a wedding, and a family, like  _ normal  _ people. Of course, Luke had featured in a lot of those mental wanderings, since it had started even before Percy had arrived. And then she’d gone through a long period where she had shied away from any of that kind of speculation, because it had been too painful to consider such a future when she’d, like most of them, had been nearly convinced Percy was destined to die. 

But since all that was behind them now, and the dream she’d always kind of wanted, even if she’d been too embarrassed to admit it was still there. She liked Percy’s idea of getting married on the beach, the ocean being so important to both of them. And she wanted to wear the dress her mother had gotten her. And a cake, and flowers. Not on a grand scale, but a simple classic kind of wedding. 

Percy quirked his eyebrows. “Well, I should hope so. I don’t want a fake marriage.” He was smirking at her.

“No, that’s not what I mean, and you know it,” she turned away from him annoyed. He realized he’d crossed a line.

“Hey, hey,” he soothed. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make fun. It’s just…”

“I don’t seem the type?” she muttered.

“Well...that sort of thing seems like an Aphrodite thing, not an Athena thing. But if that’s an Annabeth thing, then we’ll just roll with it.” He reached out and squeezed her hand.

She sighed, and looked back at him. “I just want to be...I don’t know, normal. I know it’s super silly and crazy, but I just want one thing in our lives to have some remote semblance of a normal life. And I’m not saying I want a big, cathedral wedding, but a chance to wear my dress, and take pictures, and have it mean something,” she pleaded. “I know it’s ridiculous, but…”

Percy squeezed her hand. “It’s what you want. And it’s what we’ll do. It’s just a question of when,” he promised her.

She smiled at him. Percy may not have fully understood, which was good, since she didn’t either, but he accepted, and that meant the world to her. 

“Tell you what,” he announced, “This is enough thinking for today. We’re going to have lots of time to talk it though after we finish finals. Another week won’t make much of a difference at this point, and even if we decided today, we wouldn’t have time to plan before finals anyway.”

Annabeth nodded. “That makes sense,” she admitted. “You know, sometimes, you’re pretty smart, Seaweed Brain.”

He grinned at her, in a way that made her heart swoon. “Sometimes. Even a blind squirrel finds a nut once in a while.” He shrugged. “Besides, we have some things to talk about with Chiron, about camp and the Mist and all that.” 

_ Chiron.  _ That reminded her. She’d wanted to share this with him for a while now, and today seemed like the day to do it. She dug around in her satchel, and then paused, not sure how he would respond.

“What is it?” Percy asked, concerned by her change of mood.

“I...I have something to show you,” she said. She drew out the notebook. On the front cover, she’d penciled in  _ New Athens  _ in block letters. She slid the notebook across the table to Percy. He looked at the cover. 

“New Athens? What’s this?” He opened the cover. She watched him carefully.

Inside was a drawing of camp, but on the eastern edge of camp, along the farm road, where there had been empty fields and the slope up to the ridge, the map showed buildings, terraced into the side slope on two levels. Percy flipped into the notebook, to find her other drawings. She knew that inside were designs and blueprints for the buildings.

“The buildings on the lower tier, along the road, they’re shops, and offices,” she explained. “The ones higher up the slope are houses and apartments. And temples. There’s even a school,” she continued, pointing to a detail on the page he was on.

“Annabeth, this...this is amazing.” He flipped more pages, and then stopped. Annabeth bit her lip and waited. “What is…” He looked up at her, eyes shining. 

She pointed. “You said we’d need office space.” She traced the outline of the home office she’d sketched into one corner of the house. 

Inside the notebook, taking up the two full, laid flat pages, she’d meticulously sketched a two story Greek revival farmhouse. The kitchen dining room was open concept, with windows facing the back to the house that would give out onto a view of the crest of the hill and Long Island Sound beyond. The living room would look out over the lower tier of buildings. Upstairs there were five bedrooms, two baths (the one that was en suite in the main bedroom featured a Roman style soaking tub), and a laundry nook. The main bedroom also had a balcony that walked out on what was the roof of the home office. 

“The front door would be blue,” she told him. He gazed down at the blueprints for another moment and then looked up and met her gaze. 

There were unshed tears in his eyes, and he reached across the table and squeezed her hand, so tightly she winced a little. 

“This is beautiful,” he said thickly. “Gods, Annabeth, I...I don’t even know how to…”

“And there’s plenty of room out back, along the slope, for Mrs. O’Leary,” she added. “I designed her a matching doghouse, it’s on the next page,” she said with a smile, though she also felt her eyes filling up as he gazed at her adoringly.

“I could kiss you right now, except this damn table is in the way,” he grumbled. “Annabeth, this is the greatest thing I think anyone has ever given me.” 

“I have no idea how we’d afford it,” she admitted. “Even just a rough estimate it’s…”

He cut her off. “I don’t care. This is...our dream. Our permanent.” His other hand came up to stroke the pages. He shook his head. “Even though Camp is like, a three hour drive from the city.”

Annabeth winced. “Yeah, that’s a thing,” she admitted. “So, it might not be the world’s most practical idea. Even on the LIR, it’s almost three hours one way. Or at least until I can get well known enough to have my own office and work from home. Then I would only have to go in to meet with clients on certain days. And they could also come to me.”

“That has merits,” he agreed. “And I’m sure I can find work on Long Island. Maybe with the fishing industry, or something.”

Annabeth took a breath and launched into the other part of her idea. This was the part that she was less sure about. “Or you could work at Camp full time,” she blurted. Percy looked up at her, surprised. “You’re good at it. You’re good with the new kids, Percy and...I know I don’t say this enough, but you have some really great talents. I know I tease about the things your dad gave you, but the fact is that you have some really great mortal talents, too.” She began to warm to her topic, pouring out thoughts that she’d been sitting on for a while. “Aside from being an amazing swordsman, you can also teach it. And when the new campers come in, you’re really great about putting them at ease. You get them. You can empathize with them in a way a lot of people can’t. Like everything about trying to be a demigod in the mortal world. School problems, monsters. I've watched you give great advice.” She paused. “I’ve always thought you’d make a great teacher, but I know how you feel about school, and I never quite knew if you’d have to focus to pick a subject you like. But you’ve always been good at helping people. You’re instinctively empathetic. And if you were at Camp…” she trailed off at the thoughtful look on Percy’s face. 

“Do you really think that about me?” he asked, sounding astonished. 

“Yes,” she said firmly. “I do. I know that school hasn’t always been your thing, and  _ teaching _ is probably the last thing you’d ever think about for a career, but I think you should at least think about it. And maybe not school teaching, but demigod teaching. Full time.” She squeezed his hand. “You would be  _ amazing. _ ” She paused. “And that’s not to say Chiron isn’t great, but he’s a centaur. You’re a little more relatable, at least until the kids get older.”

“And comparatively speaking, I’ll be young, hip and sexy for decades,” Percy pointed out with a grin. Annabeth laughed. He paused, expression going serious. "It's an idea, anyway. I...I'll think about it." He shrugged. “And it’s a better career plan than ‘something with the sea’, which is all I’ve got now.” His face took on a reflective cast. 

“You sell yourself short, sometimes, Percy,” she told him gently. “I think you have lots of talents you don’t really acknowledge. And I know that sometimes I’m guilty of not helping you find them.” She looked down at the table. “But you are really good at a lot of things.”

“Hey.” He put a finger under her chin and lifted up his face. “It’s okay.”

“Is it?” she asked. “My nickname for you basically accused you of being dumb. Sometimes I wonder about how fair that is.”

“Hey, I  _ like _ being your Seaweed Brain. It’s our thing,” he said. He paused. “Though I don’t know how I’d take it from someone else,” he admitted. “But I know you don’t mean it that way. At least most of the time. And those times you do, let’s face it, I deserve it. I know I’m not the smart one in this relationship.” Annabeth opened her mouth to protest and Percy put a finger to her lips. “It’s true. But I have other redeeming qualities. We balance well, Wise Girl. Where you’re strong, I might be weak, and where you’re weak, I’m strong. That’s why we partner so well, Annabeth. We’re like, two sides of the same drachma.”

“An interesting description for a son of Poseidon and a daughter of Athena,” she noted wryly.

“Hey, that feud is over, remember? We work together now.” He gave her that look. “Or do you need a reminder of how it ended?” His voice dropped to a base rumble. 

She laughed. “You’re trying too hard,” she told him. “But you’re cute.” 

He shrugged, and returned his attention to the drawing. "That's a lot of bedrooms," he noted. "Just how many kids are you thinking we're going to have, Mrs. Jackson?" he arched an eyebrow at her.

She felt her face warm a little. "I thought it would be good to have guest rooms," she stammered. "So, like if Jason comes to visit and he doesn't feel like sleeping in a cabin anymore. Or if my Dad comes out for a visit."

"Ah," Percy commented, with a false air of revelation. "That makes a bit more sense."

"More than one, though," she added quickly before she lost her nerve.

"More than one what?" 

"Kid."

He looked at her. "Yeah?"

She nodded. "I was thinking two or three, depending." She hoped her face wasn’t as red as it felt right now. 

He nodded, and grinned. "Okay. We will need at least one of each." 

Percy’s matter of fact responses were helping her bring her racing heart under control. She took a breath and nodded in agreement. "I can get behind that, within reason. I mean, if we have three straight girls, I don't know that I'll be up for four just to try and have a boy. Or vice versa."

"You don't want to be like that mom in the Harry Potter movies?" he asked with a grin.

"The books were superior, and no, I'm not Molly Weasley." She fixed him with a mock glare.

"I'll read them, if you get me the audiobook," he offered. "Once school is out."

Annabeth was touched. He'd never offered to read anything she'd expressed interest in before. Then again, her architecture books weren't likely to have audiobook versions. "Okay," she told him. "I bet the library's got them

"Cool. Sounds like a plan." He squeezed her hand again. He looked down at the notebook again, eyes caressing the carefully drawn lines of their dream home. "So when are we going to talk to Chiron about this?"

“I thought we might show him when we go down after we get back from California. Before I start my internship.” She started to pick up the notebook, but Percy held it. He flipped to the page with Mrs. O’Leary’s doghouse, and then beyond, to some of the rough sketches for other houses and buildings. Finally he closed it and slid it back to her.

“I don’t say it enough, but you’re amazing, Wise Girl.” 

She blushed. “What are you talking about? You say it all the time.”

“Still not enough,” he said. “Never enough.”

“Stop it,” she told him, while she tucked the notebook back in her bag. Her phone pinged. She checked it. “It’s Ava. She wants to know when I’m getting back for our study session.” 

“I’ll walk you back.” He rose and began gathering up the trash from their dinner. She helped him and together they walked hand in hand around the corner to her dorm. “A good day,” he commented.

“Yes, it was,” she agreed. “It was a good talk with Doc.” She suddenly remembered something. “Oh, I meant to tell you! When I was there before you got there, Doc was saying that he will connect us with someone in New Rome for while we’re in California next fall, so we can keep up with it.”

“Oh, good.” He squeezed her hand. “Did he say who?”

“A Doctor Naismith. A woman. I think her first name was Cordelia,” she replied. “Believe it or not, he says she’s a descendant of Mr. D. Well, Bacchus, but you know. He says she goes back a couple of generations further than him, but still.” Berger had once explained that Apollo had been his great-great grandfather, who’d fallen in love with a particularly beautiful Temple singer, newly arrived in New York from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, where her parents had been expelled for their political views. 

“Really?” Percy was surprised.

“Yeah, I mean, it makes sense, though. I mean, we usually think of him in terms of wine, but he’s the god of madness, too, so, I guess...therapy…” she shrugged.

“That’s true.” Percy sounded thoughtful. “He cured Chris. And he drove the manticore’s helpers mad that one time.”

“When was this?” Annabeth asked.

“Oh, yeah, you were a prisoner at the time,” he remembered. “You weren’t there. It was when we were coming to rescue you on Mount Othrys that one time.”

“Ah,” she said, enlightened. “That’s why I missed that.”

“Anyway, that’s cool, though, that we’ll still have someone out west. I’m glad about that. Doc has really, really helped.”

“I know,” Annabeth said. “Don’t know how we would have managed without him.”

They arrived at the dorm, and Percy kissed her goodbye before she went up to her room. She found Ava and Kirsten in the room, grinding away. 

“Hey,” she called as she entered, hanging up her bag and taking off her shoes before flopping onto her bed. “Where’s Kassandra?”

“Gone for Red Bull,” Ava answered. “She should be back soon.”

“Ahh. So what are we studying?” Annabeth reached for her notebooks. 

“I’m studying my Modern US final,” Ava replied. “Do you want to help me organize my flashcards?” 

“Sure.” Annabeth grinned.

Annabeth dug in to help Ava, and Kassandra soon returned with energy drinks all around. They worked into the night, but by midnight the energy drinks had worn off and they were all ready to crash. 

“Hard to believe this is it, the last weekend,” Kirsten said, leaning back in her chair and stretching, just after 12:15. 

“Oh, don’t start that,” Kassandra complained. “I’m not ready to cry.”

“Yeah, no, I’m saving that for the cruise on Wednesday,” Ava agreed, as she rubbed her eyes from exhaustion.

“We should get some sleep,” Annabeth declared, observing Kassandra trying to hold back a yawn. “Busy day tomorrow.”

“Yeah,” Ava nodded reluctantly as she gathered up her books and notecards. “Like you said, a busy day.”

They said goodnight and then Annabeth and Kirsten got ready for bed. “How are you holding up?” Annabeth asked Kirsten as the other girl shut down her laptop and climbed into bed.

“I’ll make it,” she said. “You?” 

“Yeah.” Annabeth sat down on her bed. “I am going to miss you,” she told her. 

“We’ll stay in touch,” Kirsten promised. “You have to keep me updated on the wedding planning. And Percy’s swimming. I need to know if I have to watch the Olympics.”

Annabeth laughed. “Will do.” She pulled down the sheet and crawled in. She picked up her phone.

_ Going to bed,  _ she texted Percy.  _ I love you. _

Despite the hour, the response came back almost immediately.  __ 💖  _ u 2. _

_ Go to bed,  _ she texted back.  _ You have school. _

_ U do 2 & im going 2 now u r. 👀 u tom. _

_ You too. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Love it? Hate it? Email: TheAuthor@no2ticonderoga.com
> 
> Twitter: No_2Ticonderoga
> 
> Please vote. Vote like your life depends on it. It very well may.


	49. 49: Percy

Thursday was a bit anticlimactic. It was kinda the last day of his high school career, but not really, since he had two days left of finals, where he was still expected to come to class. And he was in a study hall, which made it even weirder. But he was done. He’d managed to stay in the same school for four full years. He’d survived high school...well, assuming nothing killed him before graduation next Friday. 

He packed his bag, and headed out. The hallway mood was light, with seniors congratulating each other, and such, but it wasn’t quite a party, not yet. That would be when the bell rang on Monday, and they were really, truly, done. 

“Heeey, Percy,” Kamal called. They clasped arms and chest bumped. “We made it.”

“Yeah, we made it,” Percy said. “Just finals.”

“I’m not too worried. I did the math. I could skip them all and still graduate. Not that I plan to,” Kamal added. “But it’s less stress that way.”

“Yeah, no kidding.” Percy wasn’t quite in the same boat, but it was close. He couldn’t quite skip his finals, but he’d have to fail with lower than 30s or 40s to fail his classes, and he had no intention of doing that either. 

“You’re not swimming tonight, right?” Kamal asked. Percy shook his head. 

“Nah, going to go home and study. We’ll swim next week after finals are done.” 

“Right on,” Kamal agreed. “You want to get together this weekend, go over the essay prompts for Adams’ class?” 

“Yeah, we can figure something out. Text me.”

“Will do.” Kamal gave him a thumbs up. “Nearly there, brother.” 

“Nearly there,” Percy replied, as Kamal made his way toward the exit. Percy turned down the English hall and stuck his head in Paul’s room.

“I’m headed home, you staying?” he asked.

“I’ve got some late work grading to catch up on,” Paul groaned. “All those people who have suddenly learned to read a calendar and a gradebook.” Percy snorted. “Tell Mom I’ll be home about 4.”

“Will do,” Percy promised. He got his phone from his locker and checked it. He’d missed a bunch of texts from the group text, but nothing earth shattering there. Just talking about finals and studying. Darah and Josh were apparently planning on studying together. Emma, Yose and Gianna were doing the same for their calculus class. Percy wasn’t in that one. San preferred to study by himself. 

He’d also gotten texts from Annabeth, telling him she was done with finals for the day, and was headed for the dentist, and that she’d be over for dinner before she went back to the dorms to study for her next set the next day. And, presumably, she would spend at least a little time helping him stay organized for his studying. 

His mom met him at the door, and hugged him tightly. She understood as well as he did what kind of milestone this was for him. There were cookies, too. “Mom, I gotta get through finals,” he told her.

“I have something else in mind for Monday,” she explained, as they sat down around the kitchen table with their blue cookies and milk. Percy held Estelle in his lap. He looked at his mom. She looked older, but happier than he’d ever seen her. 

“Well,” he said finally. “I guess we made it, Mom.” 

“Yes, yes we did, Percy. There were times…” she took a deep breath.

“Yeah, I know. But, look at us now.” He waved with his free hand. “Who’d’ve thought it, that day I came home from Yancy?”

His mom shook her head. “I hoped it would all be worth it, someday. I guess sometimes you do get the things you deserve, in the end.”

“Sometimes,” he agreed. “Thanks for everything, Mom. I wouldn’t be here without you.”

“Oh, Percy.” She smiled and shook her head. “You were my everything for so long. And you still are.”

“It’s okay,” he told her with a grin. “I can share you with Paul, and Estelle here. But I know what you mean. Those days, it was just us against the world. But now, you’ve got Paul, and I’ve got Annabeth, and really, it’s more than I could have asked for, from anyone.”

“I am so, so, proud of you,” she said, taking another cookie from the plate. “You’ve done so much, so much, more than anyone had a right to expect from you. And, you…” she shook her head. “I don’t know how, but you never let it go to your head. And you never became bitter. I don’t know that I could have done it, in your position.”

Percy paused. “I think part of it was seeing what happened to Luke,” he explained. “Before I really understood what it might be like to be bitter, I saw what it could do to a person. What it could make them become.” He shuddered. “And I didn’t want to be that.”

“And you had Annabeth.”

“Yeah, that too,” he grinned, then it faded. “I sometimes wonder…” he shrugged, trailing off. .

“What?” his mom asked. 

Percy looked down, picking at an invisible crack in the table while he bounced Estelle on his knee. “I sometimes wonder what might have been different if Annabeth had been a year or two older, or Luke had been a year or two younger. If they’d been closer in age, would they…” Percy shrugged. “It doesn’t matter, I know, because it wasn’t that way, but sometimes, in the night…” Would Luke have chosen Annabeth sooner? Would she have chosen Luke, if he’d been interested sooner, before their own relationship had matured? Who might have anchored him without Annabeth? These were the thoughts that would trouble him in the night, after a nightmare.

“It’s perfectly natural for you to wonder what if, sometimes, Percy,” Mom told him. “But you can’t dwell on it, either. Everyone does it. You don’t think Annabeth doesn’t wonder sometimes what if you’d picked Rachel?” his mom said shrewdly. Percy felt his face heat. 

“Probably,” he admitted. “That was...a weird time.”

“Fifteen going on sixteen is supposed to be,” she assured him. “Even when you’re not trying to save the world.” 

“Yeah, that...wasn’t helping back then,” Percy allowed. And he had to admit, it was probably more of a danger then than he wanted to admit now. With his jealousy over her attachment to Luke, and the sense of ‘normal’ that Rachel had been able to provide that year… “But it all turned out okay, I guess.” 

Mom smiled. “I guess so.”

The door opened. “Hey,” Annabeth called, as she came in. 

“Hey, we were just talking about you,” Mom said. “How are you?”

“I’m okay,” Annabeth gave her a hug. “What were you saying about me?” she asked.

Percy felt his face heat up again. “Um..” he stammered. 

“All good things,” Mom assured her. “Don’t worry.” Estelle started to fuss. Mom sighed. “She’s probably getting hungry.” She held out her arms, and Percy handed her across. “Thanks. I’ll see you guys in a bit.”

Annabeth sat down where his mom had been and took a cookie. “What are the cookies for?” she asked.

“My last day of high school classes. Kind of a milestone for me, that I managed to finish. And all four years in the same place, too.”

“That is significant,” she agreed, taking a cookie. She bit into it and sighed. 

"Hey, what's wrong?" he asked, concerned. "You look upset."

Annabeth sighed heavily. "It's just...oh," she ground out. "The dentist thinks I should have my Wisdom Teeth removed."

Percy stared at her. He could feel the grin starting to form and bit his lip. Hard. He could see the rising indignation on Annabeth's face, which only made it harder not to grin. A snort escaped his mouth. He couldn't take it any longer, he began to laugh. 

"It's not funny," she said. 

"Does this mean I don't get to call you Wise Girl anymore?" he managed to choke out.

"Percy Jackson, I swear to all the gods that if you don't knock it off…"

He laughed harder. "Can you imagine what Leo…"

"No!" She shrieked. She switched to a low, growling whisper. "If you ever hope to laid again, Percy Jackson, you will  _ not _ say anything to anyone. And if you tell Leo Valdez, I’ll see to it that you won’t ever be capable of getting laid ever again, do you understand me?"

Percy nodded, but he was still trying to crank down his grin, despite the threat. He snorted a couple more times before he got himself under control. Annabeth glared at him. “I love you,” he told her.

She arched an eyebrow. “I’ll think about it.” Percy laughed again.

She  _ did _ help him organize his notes, though, while they waited for Paul to get home for dinner. 

“And what’s the equation for acceleration?” 

“A equals v minus u over t,” he replied. 

“And kinetic energy?”

“E equals half times m time v squared.”

Annabeth nodded. “Good. Well, Perce, I think you’re as ready as you're going to be.”

“I hope so,” he sighed.

“Well, don’t stress too much. Didn’t we figure you just needed above a 42 on this one to pass the class?” she asked.

“Yeah,” he admitted. “And I can probably do better than that with just the concepts section. Even if the calculations go to Hades.” He sighed. He closed his eyes and sagged into his chair. Annabeth stood up and came around the table and hugged him from behind, planting a kiss on his cheek.

“You’ve got this, Percy,” she reassured him, rubbing his shoulders. “I’m so, so, proud of you.”

“I guess I’m just a little...I don’t know. It’s all this work, and I’m finally finished, and then...I get to go to college and do it all over again,” he sighed. 

“Yes, but in New Rome, you won’t have to dance around all of the demigod stuff. You can be upfront about it,” she said. “And, aside from the GenEds, you’ll be able to focus on the things you  _ do _ enjoy.” She put her chin on his head. “And I’ll be there to help you through it.”

“The only thing that keeps me going,” he swore. “Otherwise, I’d pack it in.” He reached up and captured her hand, bringing it down to his lips and kissed her finger near her engagement ring. 

She sighed. “You’re stuck with me,” she confirmed. 

“I think it’s more like, you’re stuck with me, Wise Girl,” he chuckled. 

“Fine with me,” she told him. “Are you okay with the rest of this stuff?”

“Yeah, I’m good,” he said. “Let’s go over some of this English stuff real quick, before mom wants to set the table for dinner.”

They had dinner, then he drove Annabeth back to her dorm. He’d decided to try and get a good night’s sleep before his exams, so he didn’t stay up too late studying. Morning came too soon anyway. 

Friday he would have his first and second period exams, then he could go home early. Monday, he would go in late and take his third period and fourth period finals, which meant that his history exam would be last. Friday was English and Physics. 

For his written exams, Percy was able to take them in the Support room, where he could have someone read the questions if needed, and he was able to use a computer to type his responses. He didn’t think he would need the questions read, but the computer was very helpful. 

The case manager handed Percy his final, and he got down to work. The prompt was one he’d studied, so he at least had an idea of what he was going to write. 

Amazingly, he finished his response with enough time for a quick proofread before the bell rang, then it was off to physics. He met up with Josh in the hall. “How’d it go?” Josh asked.

“Not horrible, you?” Percy replied. 

“About the same,” Josh agreed. “How you feeling about physics?” 

“We’ll see. Annabeth helped me review last night. We’ll find out if it stuck.”

He and Josh took their seats in the classroom. The teacher handed out the exam booklets and told them to begin. Percy cracked it open and got to work. 

By the time the bell rang, he had a serious headache, but he felt like he’d done well enough that he could hold his C in the class. All he really needed to do to stay in the C range was to pass the exam, and he felt like he’d done well enough for that. 

“Okay! Two down!” John announced as they left the building. They met up with Darah, Gianna and Emma on the front steps of the school.

“Where’s Yose?” Percy asked.

“She’s coming. She’s got extra time on the English exam,” Gianna explained. 

“Gotcha,” he replied. “How about Kamal, he coming?” They had all agreed to get lunch together at the place they always went to after swim meets, one last time. 

“Yeah, he was going to stop at home, meet us there,” Emma said. “And San should be along shortly.”

“One more day, crazy, huh guys?” Gianna said as they turned up the street. 

“Definitely,” Darah agreed. 

Lunch was strange. They tried to laugh and have a good time, but there was a real sense of melancholy over the group. They all seemed to sense the end was near. The last hurrah and all that. After one such pregnant pause in the conversation, Yose finally said what they were all thinking. “The future sucks.”

“It won’t be so bad,” Josh said after a moment. “We’ll still be in touch. We’ll see each other on breaks and stuff.” 

Emma nodded. “That’s true.”

“And maybe we’ll see Percy on TV,” Darah added. 

Percy ducked his head a little in embarrassment. Josh had not been shy about sharing what Percy had said about making a run at the Olympic team.

“No maybes about it,” Kamal declared. “I expect to be cheering you on like mad, brother,” he added, thumping Percy on the back.

“Bring home a couple of gold medals, and when Goode gets around to building its own aquatic center, they’ll name it after you,” Emma added.

“Oh gods,” Percy groaned. “Please, no.” They all laughed.

“I am going to miss everyone,” San said suddenly. “Even if all you did was make fun of me for studying. It’s been...nice...to be part of a group.”

“We love you, too, man,” Gianna said. 

And then they fell into reminiscing about the stunts they’d pulled on bus trips, or at practice. It was nearly 2 by the time they wrapped up, though they’d finished their pizza an hour earlier. The restaurant staff was giving them dirty looks for taking up a table, though the place was not crowded. Maybe it was just because they were loud. There were hugs and everyone was beginning to feel the emotions. Percy didn’t want to think about what next Friday night was going to be like. 

“You headed home?” Josh asked.

“Nah. I’m going downtown, meet Annabeth. I’m not sure about after that,” he said. “I’ll catch up with you over the weekend.”

“Sounds good,” Josh acknowledged. “One more day, right?”

“One more day,” Percy agreed.

He caught the subway downtown, and made his way to Annabeth’s dorm. She was sitting on the steps with Kirsten and Kassandra when he appeared. She waved at him, and he joined them. “Where’s Ava?” he asked, after he had given Annabeth a kiss.

“Her parents are taking her to dinner tonight,” Annabeth explained. 

“Ah. So what are you guys doing?” 

“Just hanging out, bitching about finals,” Kirsten explained.

“Are you going to get food?” Percy asked.

Annabeth groaned. “Percy, it’s only 3:30. Dinner is two hours away, at least.”

“But I’m hungry now,” he complained. 

“Of course you are.” She rolled her eyes. She pointed. “Go get yourself a snack from the store. Bring me back a Coke.”

“You guys want anything?” he asked Kirsten and Kassandra as he stood up.

“I don’t have any cash,” Kirsten said. 

Percy shrugged. “It’s on me if it’s cheap. Well, it’s on my mom,” he clarified. “Bag a chips or something?”

“I’ll take an A&W if they have it,” Kirsten asked. “And a bag of Funyons.” Annabeth groaned. “They’re good,” Kirsten defended herself.

“Are they even real food? They have more chemicals than natural ingredients.” Annabeth pointed out.

“Bag of Funyons, right,” Percy nodded. “You?” he pointed at Kassandra.

“I’ll take a Coke, too, thank you,” Kassandra said.

“No problem,” he answered, and made his way across to the bodega on the other side of the street. The clerk acknowledged him with a wave. Percy was a frequent visitor. He got the drinks, and Kirsten’s Funyons. He also grabbed a large bag of M&Ms. He figured the girls would want some if he had them, a bag of his own chips, and a package of Twinkies. 

When he got to the counter, the clerk rang him in. “Probably the last visit,” Percy told him.

“Oh?” the clerk, a Latino kid who reminded Percy of Leo, said. 

“Yeah, my fiancée is going to graduate next week.”

“Fiancée?” the clerk raised his eyebrow. He leaned back to look out the window. “The blonde, right?”

“Yeah, that’s her.” Percy bagged up his purchases. 

“Lucky guy.” The clerk handed him his receipt. Percy took it and shoved it in his back pocket with his wallet.

“Thanks. See ya around.”

“You too, man,” the clerk called back as Percy left the store. He crossed back to the other side of the street, and plopped back down next to Annabeth. He handed out drinks and the bag of Funyons.

“And the rest, I suppose, is for you?” Annabeth said with a sigh.

“Well, I did get the M&Ms to share,” he allowed. “But, yeah.” He ripped open the Twinkie package.

“We need to work on the difference between  _ good  _ calories and  _ bad  _ calories.” Annabeth rolled her eyes and opened the bag of M&Ms. 

“All calories are good calories, as far as I’m concerned.” He took a bite of a Twinkie.

“Well, if you are what you eat, I’d rather be a bon bon than a Brussel sprout,” Kirsten agreed. 

“Says the girl who gets up three mornings a week to do 45 minutes on the elliptical in the gym before class,” Annabeth snipped, with another roll of her eyes. Kirsten stuck her tongue out at her. “Those Funyons are probably an extra ten minutes, right?”

“Worth it,” Kirsten said as she popped another into her mouth. 

A red sports car roared up to the curb just then. The horn blew, and Rachel Elizabeth Dare called. “Get in losers, we’re going shopping.” 

Kassandra and Kirsten laughed out loud. Percy must have been missing something. 

“Seriously?” Annabeth said. “ _ Mean Girls _ ?” 

Rachel shrugged. “I’ve always wanted to say that,” she explained. “C’mon, let’s go,” she encouraged. “Everybody’s welcome, bring your friends.” Rachel stared across at them a second longer. “Kassie, that you?”

“Wow, Rachel!” Kassandra realized. “It’s been forever! I barely recognized you.” They all got up and headed for Rachel’s car. 

“Are we all going to fit?” Kirsten asked.

“Girls can squeeze in the back. This tall drink of water can ride up front with me where he won’t be putting his knees in somebody’s back,” Rachel declared, looking at Percy over the top of her shades, voice teasing. 

“Watch it, Dare,” Annabeth laughed as she climbed into the back with Kirsten and Kassandra. “That’s my fiancé you’re drooling over.”

“Where are we going?” Kirsten asked. 

“I dunno,” Rachel told them, putting the car in gear. “We’ll know when we get there.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Love it? Hate it? Email: TheAuthor@no2ticonderoga.com
> 
> Twitter: No_2Ticonderoga
> 
> Please vote. Vote like your life depends on it. It very well might.


	50. 50: Annabeth

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's been a weird couple of days. Haven't been able to focus much, for obvious reasons. 
> 
> I'm so beyond stuck on chapter 52. Maybe this weekend I'll figure it out. It's a literal disaster.

With Percy navigating, of course they ended up at the beach. They ended up at Rockaway Point, watching the sun go down over the harbor to their west. Rachel had canvas, easel and paints in the trunk, because of course she did, and she was busily trying to capture the colors of the moment in paint. She’d made Percy schlep her equipment from the car. After Rachel was set up, Annabeth and Percy walked hand in hand along the beach, letting the water lap their ankles. Kassandra and Kirsten hung out with Rachel, Kassandra and Rachel catching up from when they’d been day student middle schoolers. By unspoken consent, she and Percy dialed down their usual displays of affection. They didn’t want to make their friends uncomfortable. 

The day stretched on. They were approaching the Solstice, which gave them a lot of daylight. Rachel finally had to be dragged away from her painting to take them for food, but not before she took a bunch of photos so she could try and finish it later. 

They ended up getting food at a hole-in-the-wall diner in Belle Harbor, just up the beach from the point. It had a view of the ocean, and served mainly seafood. Percy winced, but acquiesced good naturedly. Annabeth and Rachel both stuck to land based dinners out of respect for his feelings. Rachel insisted on covering everyone’s tab. 

Over dinner, Percy made mention of his upcoming class trip to Six Flags. “That’s awesome,” Rachel commented. “We didn’t get to do anything that cool up at that damn finishing school.” 

“I’ve been trying to convince Annabeth to come too,” Percy told her. “Since she doesn’t have anything to do that day.”

“Oh, hell yes!” Rachel exclaimed. “You should totally go.”

“And how am I getting there?” she asked. Percy had suggested she sneak on the bus in her Yankees cap, but she’d shot down that idea. First of all, she didn’t trust him not to slip and start talking to her, and secondly, she didn’t want to get accidentally sat on.

“I’ll drive you,” Rachel shrugged like this was obvious. “I’ll go too. It’s like old home week. I got to come here and hang out with Kassie, I’ll go with you and Percy and hang out with the kids I knew freshman year at Goode.”

And so it was decided that Rachel would pick Annabeth up on Tuesday morning, and she would drive the two of them to Six Flags. Rachel offered to take all the girls, but Kassandra and Kirsten demurred, saying they would be spending the day packing their rooms in preparation for vacating the dorms after graduation. Annabeth didn’t have much to pack up to start with, and had already begun shifting some things into Percy’s apartment anyway. 

They were all laughing and having a great time by the time they headed back out to Rachel’s car. There, they discovered a harbor seal sitting on the pavement next to the car. A small crowd had gathered, taking photos and pointing. Percy groaned quietly, and let his head bang onto her shoulder. 

“Look at that!” Kassandra squealed. “A seal!” 

“That’s so weird, what’s it doing up here in the parking lot?” Kirsten asked. 

“Um, Percy,” Rachel fell back to them, and was speaking sotto voce. “This is your fault, isn’t it?” 

“Yes,” Percy muttered from the depths of Annabeth’s shoulder. 

“Um…” Annabeth thought quickly. “Wait, Percy, pretend you got a phone call from your mom. There’s a metro station about four blocks up, you can say you have to go straight home. Rachel can you find somewhere else to take us, that would explain why it would be quicker for Percy to take the subway home?”

“Yes,” Rachel agreed.

Percy was already pretending to answer his phone. It was almost unnecessary, given that Kassandra and Kirsten were too busy staring at the harbor seal to notice.

“Yeah. Yeah, I understand. I’ll be home soon, okay? Love you, bye.” Percy put down his phone. “Hey guys, I gotta go. My mom needs me to come home and watch Estelle.”

“Aww, but I wanted to drive over to Coney Island,” Rachel whined.

“You guys can go without me, I’ll catch the subway home,” Percy hooked a thumb over his shoulder toward the subway station. “It’ll be fine.” He kissed Annabeth on the cheek. “I’ll text later,” he whispered in his ear. “After I sort this out.” 

Annabeth helped chivy Kassandra and Kirsten into the car, and Rachel pulled out. They all waved to Percy as he hung behind in the parking lot. Annabeth was the only one who noticed that he didn’t leave toward the subway station, and instead walked toward the seal, and it turned, as if leading Percy toward the water.

Annabeth hadn’t really wanted to go to Coney Island, but it was Rachel’s idea of a diversion, so there they went. Kassandra and Kirsten wanted to hang out in the arcade (Kassandra was apparently a closet pinball freak, much to the surprise of them all). Kirsten wanted to play DDR. Annabeth and Rachel watched Kirsten dance off against a twelve year old in pig tails, who was clearly better at it than Kirsten. 

“Did Percy say what was up?” Rachel asked her quietly.

“No,” Annabeth told her. “I’m hoping it’s just something minor, and not, like, a messenger from his dad, or his brother,” she said. “Could just be some harbor seals with a pollution problem. Wouldn’t be the first time something like that has happened. We were at the beach, and a sea turtle came up to him and asked him to help rescue a bunch of crabs that had gotten trapped under a fridge that had ended up in the ocean. I guess the lid had been propping it up, and the tide or current shifted and trapped them all inside.”

Rachel giggled. “Percy Jackson, rescuer of small sea life.”

“I’ve often thought we would be better off moving to like, Kansas, or something, so I wouldn’t have to worry about these interruptions.” That just made Rachel laugh harder. “What?”

“Neither one of you would be happy in Kansas,” Rachel declared. “Percy would be miserable, and so would you, eventually. You like the sea almost as much as he does.”

“Is it the sea I love, or the way it affects Percy?” Annabeth wondered out loud. 

“Doesn’t matter,” Rachel told her. “It amounts to the same thing in the end.”

Annabeth nodded. “Probably true.”

They stayed at Coney Island until the Forester girls started getting nervous about curfew, and Rachel drove them back to the dorms. Shortly after they returned, Annabeth got a text from Percy.

_ Im back all  _ 👍 _.  _

_ What happened? _ she texted back.

🚢 _ in harbor leaking oil i dealt with it _

_ Am I going to read about it in the paper?  _

🙊

_ Percy… _

_ Its fine i promise  _

_ Tell me. _

_ No  _

_ Why? _

The three dots blinked for a long time.  _ Plausible deniability _

_ Percy!!!1!! (took you forever to figure out how to spell that, didn’t it?) _

_ j/k...sorta dont worry 9shut up i h8 autocorrect) _

_ Oh no you don’t. I’m totally going to worry now. Just tell me. _

_ Tomorrow _

_ I swear… _

💓  _ u _

_ Jerk. _

_ U said u marry me. _

_ A decision I am regretting. _

🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣💓💓💓💓 

_ If you loved me you’d tell me what you did. _

_ Lets just say  _ 🚢 _ won’t be going anywhere 4 a while _

PERCY! DID YOU SINK A SHIP IN THE HARBOR?

_ NO!  _ 😱 _ No gods no that would be worse so much pollution! No i did not sink the ship i swear on the styx (is that binding over text message?0 _

_ Probably. So you didn’t do any permanent damage? _

_ Nooooo. _

_ I am going to kill you. WHAT DID YOU DO???/? _

_ Oh 👀 the eleven oclock news is on _

Annabeth swore, and pulled up the local news stream on her phone.

“Breaking News tonight here on WCBS 2,” the anchor was saying. “Authorities are investigating after a commercial oil tanker penetrated the security barrier around the Naval Weapons Station in Sandy Hook Bay. For more, let’s go to our on scene reporter, Cindy Fairbanks. Cindy?”

Cindy was standing on a beach, where in the background, a large ship could be seen sitting in a pool of spotlights from other ships and helicopters. “Hi Doug, yes, at about 7 o’clock this evening, the Liberian flagged oil tanker  _ Lagos Shell _ reported to the Coast Guard station at Sandy Hook that it was out of control and off course. Coast Guard authorities responded, but were unable to assist the crew in gaining control of their vessel. The 16,000 ton vessel, carrying lubricating oil and bound for Annapolis, Maryland after stopping in New York, veered off course and raised alarms all along the New Jersey coast. For some time, there was concern that the ship might run aground at speed, but the ship’s engines stopped, and the tanker drifted into the security zone around the piers for Naval Weapons Station Earle, where it was boarded and the crew taken into custody by the Navy. While authorities say that a larger disaster was avoided, Coast Guard officials also say that it appears the ships safety logs were out of date, and it was already leaking oil. Crews are already on scene to begin isolating and mitigating the spill, which authorities estimate began well before the ship lost control. The NTSB and the Coast Guard will investigate why the ship lost control the way it did, but some officials are already saying that the ship’s unexplained detour may have prevented untold environmental damage. Reporting for WCBS 2, this is Cindy Fairbanks. Back to you Doug.”

“Thank you Cindy, we’ll be keeping an eye on this story as it progresses...in other news…”

Annabeth shut off the feed and switched back to her text messages.

_ You realize that all those crew people are going to end up in jail, right? _

🤷  _ Serves them right for leaking  _ 🛢 _ all over the harbor it was a mess I cleaned up the best I could but oil sux _

_ You. Are. A. Seaweed. Brain.  _

💓

_ Go to bed. I’ll see you tomorrow, probably. _

_ Not leaving until u say u love me _

_ I love you. Go to bed, dork. _

_ I 💓 u 2 nite _

_ Night. _

Annabeth sighed, rolled her eyes one more time, and climbed into bed. 

The next day was strange. Half the dorm was bunkered in their rooms studying for their last two finals, the other half was already actively engaged in either moving out or otherwise partying up their last week in high school. Annabeth strongly suspected that Libby and Brigitte spent the entire day drinking, judging from the volume of music and other noise coming from their end of the hallway. Annabeth tried studying for a while, though Kirsten abandoned the room early for the library. Annabeth made it to lunchtime, and then gathered her books and headed uptown to Percy’s apartment.

She found Percy at the table, studying for his own finals. She greeted him with a kiss on the top of his head, which he acknowledged with a smile before returning his attention to his history book. Sally, Paul and Estelle were nowhere to be seen, but there wasn’t time for distractions today. Annabeth set up shop on the opposite side of the table, and got down to work. 

Later, Annabeth would marvel on how well they did actually work together, and around each other. Percy would sometimes need to get up, walk around the room, stretch. He would usually offer her a drink, or a snack, though half the time he didn’t even get one for himself, he’d just do a lap around the kitchen. He even did the dishes in the sink at one point, just to burn off some energy. He tried to be as quiet as possible, to avoid disturbing her and while it was a little distracting, she also found it endearing that he was trying so hard. She understood his need to move. Percy really  _ couldn’t _ sit still for more than an hour or so at a stretch, and that was only when he was really and truly engaged in what he was doing. All demigods were ADHD to some extent, but that could present itself in so many ways. For her, it was more in the hyperfocus, and she could literally lose hours while she was focused on a project, and could become savagely angry when she was disturbed unexpectedly, though she tried to control it. 

It was nearly dinner time when Paul, Sally and Estelle arrived home. 

“Hey, where were you guys today?” Annabeth asked, after taking Estelle from her carrier.

“Didn’t Percy say?” Sally asked.

“She didn’t ask,” Percy said from around a pencil he had stuck between his teeth. His tendency to chew on the erasers was one of the habits Annabeth wished he’d break, but it seemed to help his focus. 

“We haven’t talked much,” Annabeth said. “Mainly been studying,” she admitted. “I only came here because I couldn't take the dorm any longer. Some of the girls have started the celebrating early.” She pulled a face. 

“Ah,” Sally said, in a tone of much enlightenment. “Well, we took Estelle to see her grandparents for a while.”

“Oh, cool. Did you get to see your Grammie and Grandpa?” she asked Estelle, who giggled while being bounced on her knee. “Did you have fun?”

“It was...okay,” Paul allowed.

“Exhausting,” Sally said simultaneously.

Annabeth raised an eyebrow. “Umm…” Percy snorted. Paul sighed. 

Annabeth had been around enough to know that Paul’s parents had been a little skeptical of Sally, the single parent with a teenage son. Particularly a teenage son with as many documented issues as Percy. This had presented itself in a kind of supercilious patronizing, especially after Estelle was born, since Paul’s parents seemed to be afraid it was Sally’s fault Percy turned out the way he did. 

This meant that visits with the in-laws were not exactly events that Sally treasured. Once again, Annabeth sent a silent thanks to the gods that she adored her future in-laws, and vice versa. She knew that Percy was a little wary of her dad, and her step-mom, but she didn’t think they would see a whole lot of them anyway. Their improved relationship notwithstanding, her dad knew damn well that if it came down to a choice between him and Percy, Annabeth would pick Percy every time, so he’d better be on his very f’ing best behavior.

"Have you kids eaten?” Sally asked.

“I had….something...for lunch,” Percy mused. “I don’t remember. Oh, the leftover tacos.” 

Annabeth’s stomach growled. “I didn’t eat,” she realized. 

“You had that granola bar. I dunno when that was,” Percy offered.

“Oh, yeah. I did.” She looked up at Sally. “I could eat thought.”

Sally laughed. “Well, Paul owes me takeout.” She glanced pointedly at her husband. “So what do you guys feel like?”

They ended up with Italian. Annabeth got eggplant parm, and Percy got the double portion of spaghetti with meatballs. 

“You don’t have a race tomorrow,” she’d told him when he’d ordered. “You don’t need to carbo load.”

“Always the carbs,” Percy replied. She’d rolled her eyes.

“So, are you guys ready for graduation next week?” Paul asked.

“Yes,” they chorused. Then, “No.” They looked at each other and laughed.

“Let’s get through Monday,” Percy suggested. “I just want finals behind me.”

“Same,” Annabeth agreed. “Though, there’s a part of me that’s going to miss it. High school, not finals,” she clarified. 

Sally nodded. “Understandable,” she agreed. “It’s going to be a big change for both of you.”

“Are you excited for the class trip on Tuesday?” Paul asked.

“Are you going?” Annabeth asked. Paul laughed.

“No, I don’t get to go, not this year anyway. Maybe when I have more upperclassmen on my schedule I’ll get to do the fun stuff.” He shook his head. “Though, I’m not entirely sure keeping track of a couple hundred teenagers at Six Flags should qualify as ‘fun,’” he allowed, using his fingers to make air quotes. 

“I understand you and Rachel will be tagging along.” Sally raised an eyebrow at her. “Don’t get into too much trouble.” 

“We won’t,” Annabeth promised. 

“Famous last words,” Paul said.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Loved it? Hated it? Email: TheAuthor@no2ticonderoga.com
> 
> Twitter: No_2Ticonderoga


	51. 51: Percy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, this is the last of the "pre-written" chapters. We are now up to the bleeding edge of this story. Chapter 52 is quite literally incomplete. (Though not as incomplete as it was a couple days ago. Still working out some issues, but it's getting there). It's been a wild week or two, and shows no sign of slowing down. I'm thinking of buying stock in Tums.
> 
> At least I have all of you wonderful people who nudge and nag me, and this story where I can escape from the wildness of the real world for at least a few minutes. 
> 
> Enjoy!

The bell rang. Percy blinked, and looked up at the clock. It was done. He’d finished his last high school final. The only thing between him and graduation was physically surviving the next four days. 

He folded his exam booklet closed. Everyone was already packing up to leave. Kamal grabbed his shoulder. “You okay, man?” 

“Yeah,” Percy puffed out a breath. “Just...I made it. I finished.”

Kamal grinned. “No shit,” he said quietly. “It’s all over.” 

Percy walked up to the front of the room to turn in his exam booklet. “Here,” he said to Mr. Adams. Then he paused. “I really enjoyed the class,” he told him. “Thanks for making it interesting.”

“You’re welcome, Percy,” Mr. Adams replied. “I’ve enjoyed having you in the class.” He held out his hand. “Good luck next year in California.”

“Thanks, Mr. Adams.” Percy shook his hand solemnly. 

“And do stop by and let me know how you’re doing,” he said. “I’d like to see you again.”

“I will,” Percy promised, meaning it. “I’ll have Paul sneak me in while I’m on break.” 

“Good plan,” Mr. Adams chuckled. “Best of luck!”

“Thanks.” 

Percy grabbed his backpack and together, he and Kamal headed out. 

They were met in the hallway by Josh. “Heeeeeeey!” He called out, as he and Percy clasped hands and chest bumped. Josh repeated the procedure with Kamal. “We fucking made it.”

“That we did,” Kamal agreed.

Percy felt his heart contract a little. He was getting a little emotional, though he would never admit it to these guys. He wanted Annabeth, right now. Just to hold on to, to savor this moment. 

“I can’t wait to get home and burn my notebooks,” Josh announced.

“What are you guys doing tonight?” Kamal asked. “Any plans?”

“I’m going to see…"

“Annabeth,” they both finished for him.

Josh punched him in the shoulder. “Of course you are. You’re whipped, man. So whipped.”

“Dude, just because I’d rather spend my time with my fiancée…” Percy protested.

“I’m just busting your balls, man,” Josh laughed. “Have a good time. You got any plans?”

“I think my Mom and Dad are taking us to dinner, to celebrate,” Percy said. “After that?” he shrugged. “I dunno. Probably to bed early, anyway, since we have to be up at the crack of dawn to go to Six Flags.” 

“Wait, is Annabeth coming too? How’s that work?”

“She and a friend are going to follow the bus down,” Percy explained. They exited the building into brilliant sunshine. Darah was waiting in the courtyard for Josh, and ran up and hugged him. 

“A friend, eh?” Kamal asked. “You going to introduce us?” He sounded hopeful.

“You might know her, she went her freshman year. Rachel Elizabeth Dare?” 

“I know the name. How do you know her?” Kamal asked.

“We were friends freshman year, before she went to boarding school,” Percy explained.

The others began appearing, and swapping stories about finals. Percy was torn between wanting to get to the subway and get downtown and find Annabeth, and hanging out with these friends he’d made, against all odds. Finally his phone buzzed. He checked it.

_ Where are we meeting?  _ Annabeth asked.  _ Here, or up at your place? _

Percy decided he didn’t feel like going all the way downtown to come back up.  _ My place.  _ He texted back.  _ I’m headed there rn _

“Hey guys,” Percy said. “I’m headed out. Meeting Annabeth back at my place.” 

Hugs and high-fives and fist bumps all around and promises to see each other in the morning for the trip, and Percy headed across town. 

Annabeth had beat him there, but only by a little. She was still hugging mom when he walked in the door.

“Hey!” he announced. 

His mom reached out an arm and pulled him into a group hug, holding him tightly. “I’m so, so, proud of you,” she whispered in his ear, and he could hear the emotion in her voice. 

“Mom,” he protested. “Stop it. Save it for Friday after graduation.” 

She reluctantly let him go, and he hugged Annabeth. “Hey, Wise Girl. I made it.”

She smirked at him. “Let’s hold off on the grand pronouncement till the grades come in.” Her eyes twinkled with merriment. 

Percy held his hand over his heart like she’d mortally wounded him. “Hey, now,” he complained. “I would have had to skip most of my finals in order to fail at this point.”

“Mmm,” she leaned in and kissed him on the nose “And who was it that made sure you’d get this far?” 

“You, of course,” he said with a laugh, and then kissed her on the lips. He would have liked to have continued kissing her, but his mom cleared her throat. 

“Do you guys know where you want to go tonight to celebrate?” she asked them.

Percy shrugged and looked at Annabeth. She looked back at him questioningly. “What are you feeling?” 

Percy considered. They’d had Italian recently. He liked that Thai place around the corner. But for a celebration... “Steak?” he suggested hopefully. “And fries?”

Annabeth rolled her eyes good naturedly. “My loveable carnivore.” She kissed his cheek.

Mom nodded. “Steak is fine, how about that place over on East 57th, the one we went to before?”

Percy’s stomach growled in anticipation. “Sounds good to me.”

While they waited for Paul to get home, Percy and Annabeth played with Estelle. 

“This is so...weird.” Percy said finally.

“What is?” Annabeth asked.

“I feel like...I should be, y’know, doing schoolwork or something,” he confessed. “It just doesn’t seem like it’s...over. Like, I’m going to wake up in the morning, and I’ll have to go to school.”

“You do have to go to school. Unless you want me to go to Six Flags without you.” She poked him in the side. They were currently laying on the floor, side by side, while Percy held Estelle up over him, zooming her around, while she giggled hysterically. 

“Well, yes. But you know what I mean.” He gave Annabeth the side eye for splitting hairs. “Like, studying, or something.”

“You always had summer vacation before,” she pointed out.

“Well, yeah,” Percy said. “And I’ll have to start college in the fall, but this is...different somehow. Maybe it’s just that I’m not staring impending doom in the face, or trying to put my life back together after a war. I’m actually looking forward to a summer vacation for the first time since...gods, I don’t even know when.”

Annabeth paused. “Yeah, it’s been a while, hasn’t it?” 

“Yeah. I mean, okay, all through middle school, I couldn’t wait to finish and get back to camp, but there was always that nagging feeling that, well…”

“Something was going to go wrong and the world would end?” Annabeth supplied.

“Yeah and then there was the prophecy….”

“And before we could even catch our breath from that....”

“Bam. Gaea.” Percy swooped Estelle down toward Annabeth’s face. Estelle squealed in pleasure.

“And even when that was over, it took a long time to feel like normal.” He laid Estelle down on his chest, where she began drooling on his shirt. Was she teething? When did babies teethe? He didn’t know. “And suddenly it was senior year, and holy crap college, and graduation and…”

“And now it’s here.” Annabeth twined her fingers into his. “And it’s over.”

“Yeah.” He turned his head, and she did likewise, so they were facing each other on the floor. “It’s a little scary.” She squeezed his hand. “But at least I have you.”

“Always, Seaweed Brain.” She kissed him gently. Then Estelle began to babble loudly, and they both laughed.

Dinner out was delicious, because, well, steak. They got ice cream for dessert and then went back to the apartment. Annabeth was staying over. Rachel would pick her up in the morning, though the girls were planning a slightly later start, since they wouldn’t: a) have to go to school first, and b) travel at the pace of a loaded school bus. 

When they went to bed, Percy smiled at the fact that Annabeth was wearing one of his oversized t-shirts to bed. That was not unexpected. What was unexpected was the discovery, when he climbed in next to her, that she wasn’t wearing anything  _ underneath _ it.

“Anna…” he was cut off by her kissing him solidly on the mouth, and slipping a hand under his shirt. “ _ What are you doing? _ ” he hissed at her when she let him up for air.

“Can I help it if you’re hot?” she said with a laugh.

“But my parents…!” he whispered back.

“Then we’ll just have to be quiet, won’t we?” And she resumed kissing him.

He had to admit, later, that Annabeth had done a pretty good job of making him forget everything but her, and that it had been worth it. 

He arrived at school the next morning tired, but cheerful in spite of it. Yose eyed him blearily. “What are you so happy about, muchacho?” Most of his friends were clutching their styrofoam coffee cups like their life depended on it. 

“Um.” Percy felt his face heat a little. 

Josh noticed. “Duuuuuude,” he said. “You got laid last night, didn’t you?” Percy didn’t say anything, but his face warmed a little more. 

“Yeah, ya did,” Emma agreed, holding out her hand to high five Percy. Percy ignored her. Josh high fived her. 

“Okay, enough,” Darah scolded them both. “Some people prefer  _ not  _ to share their intimate relationships with the world at large.” She glared at Josh, who looked a little sheepish. Emma just rolled her eyes. 

“Spoilsport,” she said. “Speaking as one of the single people here, I think it’s important to live vicariously through our coupled friends.” She looked around. “Care to chime in, Kamal?”

Kamal looked up, and looked around, and then pulled earbuds out of his ears. “What? Did you say something?”

“Oh, forget it,” Emma huffed. Percy and Darah laughed.

They boarded the bus, and settled into their seats. Yose and Gianna shared a seat, and promptly went back to sleep, leaning on each other. Darah and Josh were the row behind Percy, talking quietly, as the bus headed out of Manhattan. Kamal continued to listen to his music. Emma sat with San, discussing finals. 

Percy leaned on the window. The bus hadn’t even gotten out of the Lincoln Tunnel when he got the text that Annabeth and Rachel started out to catch up with them. He’d texted Annabeth a picture of the back end of the bus, including license plate, so they would know what to look for. 

Mostly Percy just kind of zoned out, watching the traffic, trying not to think too much about the future. He was tired enough that he was mostly successful. They were somewhere on I-95, when he jerked when he heard a car horn.

He focused and began to laugh. He poked Kamal, who emerged from his earbuds. “What?” 

Percy pointed out the window. And then he waved. 

"What?" Kamal said but looked anyway. 

Percy could see Rachel's sports car pacing the bus in the next lane over, Rachel at the wheel, and Annabeth next to her. The top was down and both girls were letting the wind take their hair, wearing their ridiculous movie star sunglasses. Annabeth waved up toward the bus. 

“Holy shit, that’s a car,” Josh exclaimed.

“What?” Emma stood up to try and see out the window from the other side of the bus. 

Annabeth waved again, and turned and said something to Rachel, and Rachel laughed. And then she grinned, and put the hammer down. The little roadster shot forward, zipping past the bus. Heads turned at the growling sound the exhaust made, kids pointed and there was a ripple of conversation. 

“Well, that was exciting,” Darah said with a grin. “Your fiancée is making an impression, Jackson.” 

“I doubt anyone recognized her from that distance. I wouldn’t have, if they hadn’t honked at me.” He rolled his stiff shoulders, and tried to resettle himself more comfortably in his seat. 

The rest of the drive passed uneventfully. Annabeth and Rachel were waiting just inside the gate when Percy’s group finally got through the turnstiles and into the park.

“Hey.” She hugged him and kissed him warmly. She was dressed in shorts and a t-shirt with her hair pulled back in a messy ponytail. 

“Hey yourself,” he replied. “Nice drive?” 

“Tolerable,” she said with a grin.

“Rachel!” Darah called, and the two girls embraced. “It’s been years.”

“I know, right? Can’t believe it’s been since freshman year. It’s good to see you again!” Rachel hugged back. Introductions followed, though Rachel, Kamal and San admitted they may have had classes together freshman year, but it was a long time ago, so what the hell?

“What do we want to do first?” Josh asked, unfolding the park map he’d snagged on the way in.

“Restroom,” the girls chorused.

Josh sighed. “They’re over there.” He pointed. 

The necessities of life having been dealt with after the long bus ride, they set off to ride every roller coaster on the map. Kamal’s avowed desire was to ride every single one, including the kiddie rides, just to say he had. 

Percy wasn’t huge on roller coasters, but he rode anyway. He and Annabeth held hands and walked through the park together, laughing, having a grand time. Rachel renewed her acquaintance with Darah, and quickly meshed in with Emma as well, almost seamlessly merging into the group. 

Percy wanted to ride the Congo Rapids after they finished on the Nitro. Their group had been divided when they’d gotten on, so Percy, Annabeth, Rachel and Emma were waiting for the rest at the exit, when Percy heard a familiar and unwelcome voice.

“What is this, Jackson and his harem?” Gage sneered, as his eyes swept over the girls. He hesitated on Rachel. “Do I know you?”

“You were in my Algebra class freshman year,” Rachel told him. “I’m sad to see you haven’t changed a bit, Gage. Still a knuckle dragging mouth breather.” Emma giggled, and Annabeth laughed outright. 

There were a couple of strangled off chuckles from Gage’s group of friends behind him. Gage’s nostrils flared a little at this. “Bitch,” he swore at her. 

“Watch it,” Percy said, flatly, feeling his eyes grow cold. Riptide felt heavier in his pocket, but it was a distressing reminder that Gage was sadly mortal. It was a pity he still didn’t have Medusa’s head. He very much feared that Gage would someday become someone’s Gabe, and he wished he could save that person from that fate.

“Whaddya going to do about it, Jackson?” Gage turned on him.

Percy smirked. “I’d be more concerned about what my fiancée might do to you.” There was a chorus of  _ ooooo _ from behind Gage. 

Gage sneered. “You let your girlfriend fight for you?”

“No,” Percy said agreeably. “I’d be happy to kick your ass, but since Annabeth doesn’t go to Goode, they can’t expel her four days before graduation, and I’ve not come this far to risk it.”

Gage’s brows furrowed for a moment, trying to parse this. 

“And it’s fiancée,” Annabeth corrected. “Maybe you’d better take off before I leave a permanent impression of my engagement ring on your forehead.” She smiled at him. 

Maybe it was the smile that broke him, but Gage suddenly backed down. “Bunch of fags and weirdos. Ain’t worth my time. C’mon,” he grunted to his gang, and they slouched off toward the entrance to Nitro.

“Asshole,” Rachel grunted, watching him go. There was a general agreement. “I remember him. He was one of those kids who kept throwing pencils on the floor around the girls who wore skirts, hoping they’d bend over to pick them up.”

“I hadn’t heard that one,” Emma admitted. “But then, I never had class with him.”

Percy watched Gage and his cronies get in line for Nitro. An idea began to form in his mind, but he abandoned it temporarily when the rest of his friends appeared, exiting the ride, exhilarated.

“Totally awesome,” Kamal was saying. “What’s next?”

“We promised Percy the Congo Rapids,” Darah said. “Let’s go get in line.”

The Congo Rapids were easily Percy’s favorite ride to that point. Water rides were kind of his thing, obviously, and they managed to make it through the ride without even getting that wet, which was fun to watch other groups get drenched. When they got off the ride, Percy looked at the line for the ride carefully. _Well, well, well..._ “Hey, you guys go on ahead, I’ll catch up, okay?” 

Annabeth looked at him like he was nuts, “Where are you going?” Her face said, ‘ _ What are you playing at? _ ’

“I just gotta check something out. I won’t be long. You guys will still be in line by the time I catch up,” he waved them on. “I’ll be right there.”

Most of his friends just shrugged and started on. Annabeth looked like she wanted to stay back, but Rachel dragged her onward. Percy waited until they rounded the corner, then doubled back and found one of the places where you could watch people navigating the white water. The water was just on the other side of the fence. He figured he had a couple of minutes, so he scoped out a likely spot. The Congo River Ride was pretty intense, and had lots of waterfalls where the rafts came tumbling over and down to the next level. Percy watched the rafts float past, full of shrieking passengers. He closed his eyes and concentrated. He could feel the power of the water, the power under pressure, straining to be released. He could blow the whole system, just like he’d done at Frank’s grandmother’s in Vancouver, but he didn’t want anything so dramatic. He stretched out, and found he could feel where the water was pumped into the river, to create the proper eddy currents and white water features. He grinned. He’d come a long since he’d blown up the toilets in Clarisse’s face. He found the nozzles he wanted, and tweaked the water pressure just a little…

“Okay, what are you doing?” Rachel’s voice startled him. 

Percy looked up. “What?”

“You’re clearly doing something,” she said. “What are you doing?”

“Where’s Annabeth?” Percy looked around her. 

“I said I got a call from dad on my cell. She’s back with the group,” she told him. “Now, what are you doing?”

Percy decided that Rachel would probably go along with what he had in mind. “A little karma,” he assured her, and he turned back toward the river. Just in time too, as the next raft over the falls was the one he was waiting for.

He was glad Gage and his cronies were alone in the raft. He might have dropped it all together, if they’d been together with some poor small kids or something. Percy reached out and redirected the water flow just slightly, creating an eddy current the ride’s designers hadn’t intended. Instead of flowing out past the waterfall, Gage’s raft circled around and went directly underneath it. 

The screams and yells that went up as the water from the waterfall poured into their raft, almost completely swamping it, were extraordinarily satisfying. Percy made sure that the raft wallowed out of the way into a shallower area of the river so there was no danger of a) getting hit by the next raft in line, or b) actually sinking. It ran aground, though, full to the brim with the cold ride water. Percy waited another moment, subtly putting the water back into the proper flow. 

Rachel was laughing, which made Percy feel better. Alarms had started ringing, and the water had turned off, grounding all the rafts as the water drained away, so park staff could get to the swamped vessel. They could hear the cursing of Gage and his buddies as they tried to salvage soaked possessions.

“Annabeth is going to be furious with you,” Rachel said, as she grabbed Percy and began pulling him away. “But I think it was well deserved.”

They caught up with the rest as they were in line for El Toro. 

“Where did you go?” Annabeth asked Percy as he slipped into line with her, taking her hand and squeezing it.

“Unfinished business,” Percy shrugged. “I’ll tell you later.”

“Percy…” he knew that tone of voice. She wanted it out of him now. But it was not the place.

“Don’t worry about it,” Rachel said breezily. “It’s okay, I found him.” Percy winced at her tone of voice. It was not a tone that was going to calm Annabeth in the least. On the contrary, Annabeth became even more alert, eyes sharpening.

“What. Did. You. Do.” It wasn’t so much a question as a command, and Percy winced.

“Hey, hey,” Gianna interrupted. “I just got a text from Jadyn. She says that they shut down the Congo Raft ride. Somehow Gage’s raft got swamped, and they had to drain the whole ride to get them out.”

“That’s fucking hilarious,” Josh laughed. “They’re going to be stuck walking around soaking wet all day.”

Annabeth’s eyes turned murderous at Percy, and her lips compressed tightly. Rachel came to his rescue.

“Well, I’m sure they deserved it for being douchebags,” Rachel said, poking Annabeth in the arm. “Karma’s a bitch, but she’s even handed.”

Annabeth turned that glare on Rachel, but Rachel met it without flinching, arching an eyebrow. Percy watched the silent staredown in morbid fascination. He would have been more amused if his physical safety wasn’t on the line.

Finally Annabeth sighed, and rolled her eyes. She shot Percy another medium angry glower, but she squeezed his hand anyway. Percy let out a breath he hadn’t known he was holding, and Annabeth laughed suddenly at his exhalation, and shoved him in the shoulder. Rachel grinned.

The rest of the day was a total blast. Rachel insisted on picking up the tab on everyone’s lunch, claiming that she had barely touched her spending money in the last month, and needed to spend it, or her dad would decide she could get away with less. Percy ate way too much, and felt a little uncomfortable, so he skipped the Kingda Ka roller coaster they did after lunch. Coasters didn’t bother him, normally, but he didn’t want to risk it on a stomach as full as his was. Hurling all over Annabeth did not strike him as particularly romantic. Annabeth decided to stay on the bench with him, and help him hold the collection of cell phones and other loose objects. 

“I’m still mad at you,” she told him, when they were alone. This statement was rendered somewhat less threatening by the fact that she was leaning her head on his shoulder. 

“He deserved it, and his friends aren’t any better. It was a minor thing. No permanent damage.”

“You still shouldn’t do things like that,” she scolded.

“I know,” he sighed. “I just...He’s such a douchebag, Annabeth. He reminds me of Gabe.”

Annabeth reached up and stroked his cheek. “I know, babe, I know. But you can’t go around sinking people’s boats just because you don’t like them.”

Percy sighed. “Why not? It’s what Dad does.” He was joking, but only kinda.

“You gave up that chance, remember?” she tossed back at him. “Back on Olympus.”

“I gave it up for you,” he reminded her. 

She shook her head. “You going to keep playing that card?”

“Is it still working?” he asked, hopefully.

She leaned in. “If we were alone right now…” she trailed off suggestively.

“Then I’ll keep using it. And I thought you were supposed to be mad at me,” he asked her.

“Eh. I’m over it,” she shrugged and sighed.

“Having fun today?” he leaned his head on top of hers. 

“A blast, how about you?”

“Pretty good. Though I think I probably could have skipped the milkshake at lunch.”

“Y’think?” She poked him in the stomach. “We’re going to fix your diet here soon, Mr. Olympic Hopeful. Garbage in, garbage out. We need to get you in shape.”

“Yes, coach.” Percy grinned. 

“You better believe it,” she warned him. “I’m going to get Coach Hedge back out to camp this summer to run your training program.”

“Dear gods, not that,” Percy shuddered, alarmed. 

Annabeth laughed.

The rest of the day was pretty much perfect as far as Percy was concerned. It was one of his best days ever. They rode rides, and watched sideshows, and ate more, and basically had a blast all afternoon, until it was time to meet up for the bus. He kissed Annabeth goodbye at the park gate. Rachel was taking her straight back to the dorm. She would spend the morning packing, he’d probably see her at some point around midday for lunch. Percy had graduation rehearsal in the morning anyway. Then she had her own senior class trip, a dinner cruise around the Harbor in the evening. 

“I’ll see you tomorrow.” He kissed her again.

“Love you,” she said.

“Love you, too.” 

“Oy! Jackson, on the bus!” Gianna called from the window.

“I’m coming!” he called back. He grinned at Annabeth. “Gotta go.”

“Go, Seaweed Brain,” she laughed. “Don’t get in trouble now, we’ve only got four days to go.”

He ran for the bus. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Love it? Hate it? Email: TheAuthor@no2ticonderoga.com
> 
> Twitter: No_2Ticonderoga


	52. 52: Annabeth

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! I'm back.
> 
> Chapter 52 and 53 have been kicking my butt. I've gone back and forth on 52, and I hope it's finally good. I struggled a lot with this one, mainly because Kirsten kept fighting with me. I talked it out with my awesome beta Kit_The_Brave, and she told me it's because Kirsten is a Ravenclaw and asks lots of questions. That actually helped a lot, because I was able at that point to let go and let Kirsten drive the scene. It ended up being longer than usual, and taking things in a direction I wasn't expecting, but I'm happy with the final product. 
> 
> It's been a tough week in the household, too, which delayed things. We lost a family pet this week, so that delayed things as well. 😢 We'll get by, but it's tough on everyone. 
> 
> Anyway, enjoy! If you're here in the US, I hope you have a safe and healthy Thanksgiving! If not, be awesome anyway! Maybe I'll be able to use some of my holiday time off to finish 53!

“All set?” Annabeth asked Kirsten 

Their dorm room was looking very empty. Annabeth had made two trips uptown to Percy’s with nearly all of her remaining belongings. The only things she had left in the dorm were clothes to get through the rest of the week, the charger for her phone, the sheets on the bed, and hanging in the closet, her graduation robe, which had been distributed the previous day. Kirsten had picked it up for her while she’d been at Six Flags. Most of Kirsten’s belongings were packed up in boxes. Her dad had come by the night before and taken a load back to Connecticut. They’d kept the fridge, but the printer and the television were gone. 

The bus down to the waterfront was leaving in 10 minutes, and she and Kirsten had just finished getting ready. The dinner cruise didn’t require the level of primping that prom did, but they were both wearing cocktail dresses. Annabeth had gone with a classic look, an LBD that she and Piper had picked out together one of the last times they’d been shopping together before school started. It was knee length, which made it juuuuust long enough for her to wear her knife sheath. (which was good, since the chaperones would be bag checking purses before boarding the boat.) Her camp necklace didn’t exactly match, but her Dad’s ring and Percy’s coral made for a nice accessory. She also had a pair of black kitten heel with a peep toe. They weren’t as tall as the heels she’d worn to prom, which was good. She could walk in these much more comfortably. 

Kirsten had a seafoam green halter top number and was just finishing applying some eyeshadow. “Yeah, let’s go meet the others.”

Ava and Kassandra were waiting by the bus, and they all got on together. The mood on the bus was jovial. 

“Do you think Libby’s figured out how to get booze on board?” Kirsten asked in a low voice. Libby and her crowd were sitting toward the back of the bus.

“Maybe she’s got a flask tucked in the top of her stocking, like back in the 20s,” Ava suggested. They all laughed, though Annabeth’s laugh was a little forced, given that  _ she _ was packing a deadly weapon up there. Though not, she noted, one that was deadly to mortals.

“I can’t decide if I’m happy we’re not allowed to bring a date, or disappointed,” Kirsten said. “I mean, on one hand, it’s cool to hang out as a class. On the other hand, like I hate half these people, and if we brought dates, I’d have more people I like to talk to.”

“Percy was disappointed. He loves the ocean, and ships, and all that. He would have loved to cruise the harbor.” Actually, Percy had offered to stow away, or rather, sneak aboard after sailing, presumably by enlisting the sea creatures of the harbor to get him out to the ship. Annabeth had pointed out that his presence among 200 some-odd females would be hard to conceal. He’d been disappointed, but bowed to logic.

Although, when they arrived at the boat, Annabeth realized it might have not been as hard as all that. There were at least two other groups sharing the boat, including one that looked like a wedding party. Their group had the top deck of the boat (well, the top deck accessible to passengers), clearly the smallest. It was completely separate though. Annabeth picked out a table on the starboard side -Percy had managed to teach her something about ships- and they all settled in for the ride out. The sun was still fairly high over the New Jersey shore, this close to summer solstice, it wouldn’t be full dark until well after dinner. 

Dinner service started almost as soon as the boat left the dock. The food was okay, not as good as the Plaza, but still good.

“It’s just as well Percy didn’t come,” Annabeth noted. “He wouldn’t have gotten enough to eat.”

Ava laughed. “He can certainly put it away. At prom, he ate all the rolls that we left at the table, and then, when he thought you weren’t looking, he asked the table next to us if they were done with theirs before the server cleared the table, and ate all of those too.”

“Where was I?” Annabeth asked in astonishment. “How did I miss that?”

“It was right about the time Nikitha and Shaan left the table to go hang with Libby. I think you were distracted saying goodbye,” Ava explained.

“His metabolism is voracious.” Annabeth shook her head. “I do need to get him to eat a few healthier foods, though.”

“Does he really have a shot at the Olympics?” Kassandra asked. 

“I think so,” Annabeth said judiciously. “He’s got a year to get ready for the trials. If he kicks into gear now, he’s got a shot.”

“That would be wild. Would you get to go?” Ava passed the salad bowl to Kirsten.

“I don’t think he would go without me.” Annabeth smiled. 

Kirsten shook her head. “We’d have to figure out how to watch together, somehow,” she decreed. “I mean, we’re mostly local to New York. Sort of.”

Kassandra nodded. “We’ll figure out something.”

Eventually dinner was cleared away, and desert appeared, and then the Class President got up to give her speech. 

Annabeth didn’t know Jessica very well. To be honest, Annabeth wasn’t ever 100% sure which Jessica was the president of their class, considering there were like six of them in their grade. Annabeth had looked it up, Jessica had been the number one popular baby name around the time they’d all been born. 

“Fellow classmates,” Jessica began. “Sisters of the Forester School.”

Kirsten gagged in a soto voce. “Like I’d want to be sisters with half of these people,” she whispered. Kassandra giggled.

The class president went on to wax poetic about her four years at the Forester School, and how the memories she made and the friendships she cultivated would be the thing that she carried with her forever, and so on, and so on. Kirsten provided a running commentary that taxed their ability to keep from laughing out loud. 

She finally finished, and kicked off the music and dancing by having the DJ cue up that high school standby “Graduation” by Vitamin C. 

Kirsten groaned as they got up to dance. “Oh, please, can we  _ be _ any more cliché?”

“It’s a high school graduation, of course it’s cliché,” Ava prompted. “And it’s not a super bad song.”

“No, just over played,” Kirsten sighed. But it didn’t stop her from joining in the chorus sing along.

_...As we go on, we’ll remember, we will still be, friends forever… _

Annabeth found herself a bit teary-eyed by the time the song ended, and willingly joined in the group hug with her three friends as it ended. 

“Don’t be a stranger just because you’re off to California and the rest of us are staying on the East Coast,” Ava ordered her, wiping her eyes. 

“I won’t,” Annabeth promised. “Percy’s family is all out here, so I imagine we'll be back pretty often.”

“Good,” Kassandra said. “We’re going to miss you.”

The music cranked over to Lady Marmalade from Moulin Rouge and there was a cheer as the dancing started in earnest. 

The sun dipped down below the New Jersey shoreline as the dance continued, the cruise taking them out into the harbor, where they could look back at the illuminated skyline of New York. 

“It is beautiful, isn’t it?” Kirsten said. They were all taking a break from the dancing, and standing at the back rail, watching the lights, and enjoying the warm sea breeze. 

“Yeah,” Kassandra agreed. “I’m going to miss it.”

Annabeth agreed, but she knew she would like California. It hadn’t been bad when she’d been out there, and now, with New Rome as a safe haven, it would be even better. And she’d have Percy. She worried Percy would miss the city, though. Percy was a New Yorker at heart. He hadn’t lived anywhere else, really. The city was in his blood. 

They would have to come back. But it would be okay, probably. Percy’s roots were here. And so were hers, really, at Camp. Her childhood had been in Virginia. They’d only lived in California for a little while, really. The place she’d been the longest had been Camp. And Estelle was here. Annabeth could admit to herself that she had more love and affection for Estelle than she had for either of her brothers. She was sure they were good kids, and she’d gotten to know them a little, but they really weren’t part of her life. And as much as she’d managed to patch things over with her dad, her real family was here. Which is why, ultimately, she’d decided that she would take Percy’s last name when the time came. She was a Jackson already in all but name. Might as well take the name.

And if somehow, they could make her designs of New Athens a reality...

The ship shuddered, and lurched, throwing the girls off balance. Annabeth reflexively grabbed Kassandra to prop her up as she felt towards the rail. 

“What the fuck was that?” Kirsten cursed, having barely avoided falling. Ava had hit the rail hard, and was rubbing her arm.

“Ow, damn, that hurt,” she said.

Annabeth looked around, her instincts suddenly going into overdrive. “Inside,” she ordered, pushing them toward the door.

Inside, it was chaos, as the girls from their class tried to untangle themselves from each other and the cascade of chairs and dishes that had slid off the tables. Annabeth looked around, and peered out the shaded windows. Something about this…

Suddenly the ship lurched the other direction, and this time, she did fall, but she came up rolling, and she’d gotten her knife out. She kicked off her shoes and landed catlike, on the balls of her feet. 

“Stay inside!” she called to her friends, over the screaming, and sprinted toward the front of the ship.

She burst out of the doors at the bow end of the ship, onto the balcony. In the fading light, she couldn’t make out much, but the water ahead of the ship appeared to be boiling. Annabeth dropped back into the shadows made by the overhang of the bridge, and just in time, for shooting up out of the water came a huge serpent's head. Annabeth swore creatively in Greek. She recognized it, but that didn’t mean it’s presence made any more sense. Ketos Aithiopios, the Ethiopian sea monster, sent to terrorize the kingdom of Cepheus and Cassiopeia in retaliation for Cassiopia’s bragging that she was more beautiful than the Nereids. 

_ So what the  _ fuck _ is it doing in New York? _

_ And what am I going to do about it?  _

The monster roared again, and it’s head snapped at the ship. Someone screamed from down below. Annabeth knew she had to do something, but what? Her knife wasn’t going to do much against that thing. Perseus had defeated it by turning it into stone with Medusa’s head.

_ Well, I don’t think that’s in the cards this time… _ she thought wryly. Percy might have had Medusa’s head six years ago, but it was long gone now.

“Annabeth?” 

Annabeth whirled. Kirsten had poked her head out of the cabin, and was looking around. 

“Stay inside!” Annabeth hissed back at her.

“What is going... _ holy fuck, what is that thing?” _ Kirsten was looking at the monster, and she had a confused look on her face, like the Mist was trying to get her to process it, but it was just too much. “Who puts a statue in the middle of the harbor? Did we run into it?”

“Um, yeah, something like that,” Annabeth told her. “Stay inside.”

“What about you?” Kirsten asked, confused. 

“I’ll...I’ll be back in a minute,” Annabeth promised. “Just...just stay safe.”

“Um...okay.” But she didn’t back in, and another head poked out, it was Ava. 

“The crew says to stay calm and they’ll get it sorted out,” Ava told her. “Come on back.” She ducked her head back in.

The monster roared again.

“What was that?” Kirsten stared transfixed out at the sea monster, her expression clearly saying she wasn’t sure she knew what she was looking at. “It’s moving...it’s not a statue…”

“Just go!” Annabeth implored, but Kirsten remained, still staring out in confusion. Annabeth didn’t want her here. She was still trying to figure out how to keep them all safe.  _ What if the ship starts to sink?  _ She felt panic starting to rise. Mixed with serious annoyance. Of all the times for Percy  _ not _ to be around. She could use his sea powers right now. Getting ready to fight a monster without him made her feel almost more naked than she’d felt fighting at the pool party. They were a team, and she didn’t like being without him. Not that she wasn’t perfectly capable of taking care of herself. But tacking a sea monster without a son of Poseidon seemed like a tactical mistake. And Athena didn’t make those, if she could avoid it.

She’d need a really good plan to take this thing down without him. The monster roared again, and struck down toward the deck. More screams from near the bow.

Annabeth let her instincts take over. If she could get somewhere near the monster’s head, maybe her knife would…

She ran forward and launched herself over the rail, and landed on the monster’s neck. She grabbed a hold of the massive scales and held on tight. The creature roared and thrashed. Annabeth held on as tight as she could, wrapping her legs tight, so she could free her knife hand. She tried to stab in, but the scales were too tough. She’d need to somehow get in between them, or something.

Somewhere below, she could hear Kirsten screaming, but she had to tune that out. She tried to pry up the edge of a scale, but the creature thrashed and it was all she could do to hang on. It’s neck straightened to vertical, thrashing from side to side to try and throw her, and she almost lost her grip on her knife. 

_ Four days _ , she thought,  _ four days till I graduate, and I’m going to die now?  _ She angrily tried to dig her knife under the scales. 

“Hey, Ugly!” a familiar voice called. “You want to come play?” Annabeth didn’t dare try and look, but her heart soared. 

And suddenly, there were water spouts everywhere, and the monster itself launched up out of the water. Annabeth felt her grip start to slip. She screamed involuntarily as she flew off the monster’s neck. But then arms grabbed her, and suddenly she was flying upwards.

“Hey, you’re not supposed to get in this kind of trouble without me,” Percy scolded her. She was sitting in front of him, his arms tight around her, astride Blackjack. Her relief and love poured through her as she held on to both Percy and his pegasus.

“How did you get here?” she asked him, that relief morphing to a minor annoyance.  _ Took you long enough _ , she thought. 

“Blackjack came and found me. They’ve been tracking this thing up Long Island sound,” he shouted over the din.

“How did it get here?” she asked and now she was really annoyed, though not necessarily at Percy. It wasn’t  _ his _ fault the monster was here...was it? It was hard to tell with demigods. 

“Dad’s not sure, Blackjack says. They thought they had accounted for it during the Titan War, but it’s possible that it slipped off into the deep ocean and has been nursing it’s wounds since, or maybe it came back last summer when Gaea opened Tartarus and never put in appearance. Either way, it’s gotta go away.” The monster lashed out and Blackjack swerved. Percy cursed.

“No kidding,” Annabeth snorted. “So what’s the plan?”

“I hold it and get us close, and you kill it,” he said. “Riptide will make a much bigger dent than your knife. Though serious props for taking that thing on solo. You have no idea how sexy that is,” he told her.

“Shut up. Now is  _ not _ the time,” she growled. “How are you going to hold it?”

“Like this,” he said, and Annabeth looked out where he was looking. 

She realized the waterspouts that had shot up were actually giant tendrils of water, rising up to form huge bands, and that some had already started to wrap around the seamonster, which snapped at them ineffectively, as they just kept reforming. They were slowly lifting the monster out of the water, suspending it in coils of water ropes.

“Impressive,” she said.

Percy only grunted, and she could tell from the way his body was tensed against hers that this was requiring enormous effort on his part. Blackjack circled the monster, trying to stay well out of reach as Percy attempted to pin the monster in place with his liquid ropes.

Once the monster managed to thrash out of a rope, the thick band dissolving and dumping torrents of water back down into the harbor. Annabeth supposed it was a good thing that it was nearly full dark at this point. She could see the cruise ship below, lit up with lights, and crew and passengers running to and fro on the deck. She hoped the monster hadn’t eaten anyone. 

Blackjack dropped into a swoop that left Annabeth’s stomach in her throat, and she gave a little shriek. For a split second, she was reminded of all the roller coasters they’d ridden yesterday. Was that only yesterday? 

“What are you doing?” she demanded.

“Sorry, I’m trying to control several thousands tons of seawater,” Percy said from between gritted teeth. “My flying might not be fully up to par.”

“Well, don’t dump me off,” she reminded him.

“Yes, ma’am,” he managed. He handed her Riptide, in pen form. She uncapped it and the sword grew. 

They circled around again, as Percy concentrated on wrapping the monster up in his ropes of water. Annabeth watched as a rope wound around the monster’s jaws, pulling the jaw shut with a snap that could have probably been heard on Staten Island. 

“C’mon Blackjack, let’s go,” he called. 

Blackjack swooped low, under the monster, still struggling against the enormous hawsers of water. She could feel the tension in Percy’s muscles as he struggled to control the sea against the thrashing of the monster. “This is going to have to be fast,” he ground out. “I’m not sure how much longer I can hold this.” 

She nodded. Annabeth realized this really was something they could only do as a team. So much of Percy’s concentration was taken by holding up the water that pinned the monster in place, she doubted he could spare the concentration to even lift his sword. Blackjack took them between the surface of the water and the monster, allowing access to it’s exposed underbelly. Annabeth braced herself against Blackjack and thrust Riptide into it. The monster roared in pain. 

“A little further to the left, I think,” Percy bit out. Annabeth stabbed again. This time, the monster howled, and shuddered. It began to glow golden, and spreading out from where she’d stabbed, it dissolved into golden dust. 

Annabeth shook the dust out of her eyes, and Percy sagged in relief as he released control of the water, letting it fall back into the harbor. 

“Well, that was exciting,” he panted. “Blackjack, put us down on that ship down there, somewhere you can find a spot.” 

The horse whinnied something in reply and began to circle the cruise ship, looking for a place to land. 

“You okay?” she asked, concerned. The adrenaline rush was already starting to fade, leaving Annabeth feeling spent.

“Better now that you’re safe,” he assured her. But he definitely sounded exhausted, and he was slumped against her back. “If I’d known I was going to be fighting a sea monster, I don’t know if I would have done those extra laps in the pool.” 

Annabeth realized that he smelled strongly of chlorine. “Were you practicing?”

“A bunch of us got together to swim some laps,” he explained. “We were getting shawarma when Blackjack showed up.”

“Did you get any food beforehand?” she asked, concerned. 

“Yeah, I’m good,” he assured her. 

Blackjack flared his wings and set down on the top deck, behind the bridge. Annabeth turned and hugged Percy tightly. “Thank you for coming for me.”

“Always,” he promised her. “I love you.” He kissed her cheek. 

“Love you, too.” She released him. “I should go. I have no idea what anybody made of all this.”

Percy winced. “I hope you’re not in trouble.” He looked scared, and Annabeth knew he was thinking of the years of getting in trouble for things he couldn’t control.

“Me, too, but it should be fine. I’m rarely in trouble, and we’re only like, three days from graduation.” Annabeth tried to brush as much of the monster dust out of her hair and off her dress. She hiked up her skirt and put her knife back in it’s sheath. She slid down off Blackjack’s back. “Thanks, Blackjack.”

Percy smiled. “He says no problem. Text me later?” he asked.

“Absolutely.”

“Enjoy the rest of the cruise,” he called as Blackjack flapped his wings and took off.

Annabeth made her way down to the deck where her class was. She slipped into the ballroom. Everyone was still milling around, though they now had lifejackets on.

Kirsten saw her first and stared at her in confusion for a long moment, like she didn’t understand. Her stare made Annabeth uneasy. Then Ava spotted her.

“Annabeth!” Ava called in relief. “Where were you?”

“Oh my God, where were you?” Kassandra added. “We’ve been looking all over for you, they were trying to take attendance when they handed out the lifejackets.” 

“We covered for you,” Ava assured her.

“I...I was in the ladies room,” Annabeth said.

“I thought you looked there,” Ava asked Kassandra.

“I thought I did too,” she said. “I found your shoes, though.” She held out Annabeth’s heels.

They gave her a life jacket, and Annabeth watched Kirsten carefully. She kept staring at Annabeth, brows furrowed and concern written on her face. If she was going to ask about it, Annabeth hoped she’d wait until they got home later. It was a conversation she wasn’t sure she was looking forward to. 

At least she wasn’t in trouble, though. None of the teachers seemed to have noticed she was missing.

“What do you think this is all about?” Ava asked, while Annabeth put her shoes back on.

“I don’t know,” Annabeth lied. “I’m sure it’s a good reason, though.” 

Eventually, someone from the crew came down and assured them everything was fine, and the ship would be returning to port, and they could all take off their life jackets now, and there was talk about refunds, which had the administrators huddling with a representative of the crew. The DJ managed to get some music going again, and people started to dance. Annabeth didn’t really have the energy to dance, so she sat at the table and pulled out her phone.

_ You make it home okay? _

The three little dots began blinking immediately.

_ Yeah  _ 👍

_ How are you feeling? _

_ Ugh  _ 😴

_ Well, don’t wait up on my account. Go get some sleep. _

_ Nah 2 wound up _

_ How was swimming? _

👍

_ Did you have any good times? _

The three dots blinked for a long time.

_ Yeah i guess _

_ What’s that supposed to mean? _

_ Gianna says i set a us record in the 800m free. _

_ WHAT? _

🤷

_ Percy!? _

_ She said my  _ ⏰  _ would have brkn the US nat. rec _

_ That’s amazing! _

_ Yeah its cool well see if i can do it next summer _

_ Imagine how much better you’re going to be with a year of training and better practice. _

_ Im scared lol _

_ I love you. _

💗  _ u 2 wise girl _

“Hey, come dance! Stop texting with your fiancé and come dance with your friends,” Ava ordered. “You’re going to see him, like, every day. How many more days do you have with us?” she asked rhetorically. 

Sighing, Annabeth bowed to the logic, slipped her shoes back off and went to join them.

The cruise finished up, and they got back on board their busses and headed back to the dorms. Annabeth hugged Ava and Kassandra and then she and Kirsten headed into the dorm. They were both quiet as they readied for bed. Annabeth went to the bathroom to brush her teeth, and when she came back, Kirsten was sitting on the edge of Annabeth’s bed. She hadn’t said much since leaving the ship, and she looked very uncertain and confused. Annabeth waited for her to speak. 

“Okay, um.” Kirsten looked at Annabeth in confusion. “You want to explain what the hell happened out there?”

“What do you mean?” Annabeth said carefully, watching Kirsten’s face. Piper had told Annabeth what had happened to her dad, after being captured and tortured by Enceladus. Annabeth didn’t have any of Aphrodite's magic healing potion handy if Kirsten’s mind started to crack. But she also remembered what her cousin Magnus had told her about Sam’s betrothed, Amir. But she didn’t have Magnus’s healing power either. 

“Because I’d swear you jumped the balcony, and that there was a statue...or something, out there on the water, and then…” Kirsten squeezed her eyes shut. “It’s all a blur, and it keeps skittering away from me, but... _ something _ happened out there.” 

Annabeth sat down next to her. “What did you see?” she asked gently.

“ _ I don’t know!” _ Kirsten exclaimed, turning pleading eyes on Annabeth. “None of it makes sense.”

Annabeth rubbed her back. “It’s okay. Everything is okay. I’m here. It’s okay.”

“But...but...it looked like…” Kirsten shook her head. “Did you attack that...thing?” Kirsten was looking her over with new eyes, and Annabeth watched her eyes flick to the scars that were visible because she was wearing her loose pajama tank top. 

“Yes,” Annabeth said simply. “I did it to protect all of you.”

“You…” Kirsten shook her head. “You do that all the time?” 

Annabeth nodded and sighed. She turned away, and stared across at her empty desk. “Yeah. Kinda.”

“So, there are like...monsters, in real life,” Kirsten said softly, and shuddered.

“Yeah. Sometimes,” Annabeth admitted. She turned back and put her arm around Kirsten again reassuringly. “Most of the time, they’re not that big. And there are a lot of things more dangerous than them that you can see just fine,” she pointed out. 

Kirsten looked up at Annabeth. “But you...you can see them. And…” Kirsten started at Annabeth, watching the gears turning, the internal evidence slotting into place. “Percy. Percy can see them too. You guys...you’re like, monster hunters, or something.” Kirsten barked a short laugh. “Are you like, Buffy Summers, or something?” Annabeth furrowed her brow in confusion. Kirsten laughed at the look, but it sounded a little brittle, like she was on the edge. “You’ve never heard of Buffy the Vampire Slayer.”

“Oh,” Annabeth said. “Yeah, I guess I’ve heard of it. I don’t know anything about it.”

“It’s about this girl, a high school kid, she slays vampires at night, and fights all kinds of other supernatural nasties. It was a TV show. My friends and I would watch reruns in middle school when our parents weren’t around, because it wasn’t really meant for our age group. I had such a crush on Angel,” Kirsten sighed and shook her head. 

“Well, kinda,” Annabeth admitted. “I mean, I don’t go out hunting for them, but I deal with them when they come.”

Kirsten nodded and took a shaky breath, like she was trying to gather herself. “That...explains a lot, actually.” Kristen paused. “You must have seen some...some crazy shit. That’s why you get nightmares.” Annabeth nodded. “How long have you been doing this?”

“A...a long time.” Annabeth closed her eyes and sighed. “A very long time,” Annabeth told her. “It’s part of the reason I ran away from home as a kid. And yeah, Percy can see the Monsters too. It’s a big part of how we met.” Annabeth continued to hold Kirsten. It didn’t seem like she was going to fly apart. She was relieved for that much anyway.

“So, there actually was a monster out there in the harbor tonight.” Kirsten exhaled “Whatever that thing was, it was real.” Annabeth nodded. “And you killed it.”

Annabeth took a breath. “Well, Percy helped.”

“Percy was there? I didn’t see him.” Kirsten looked surprised. “How did he get there?”

“He…” Annabeth debated for a split second. She decided to lie for now. She wasn’t ready to try and explain  _ everything _ . “He was on another boat. He was tracking the monster on his own, and he caught up to it when it attacked our ship.”

“Oh.” Kirsten digested this. She looked at Annabeth askance. “Does he always show up like that, when you need him?”

_ Most of the time,  _ Annabeth thought.  _ Except when Hera steals him.  _ “Well, this was kind of a big thing. Like I said. These monsters that we deal with...they’re not usually this big. This was kind of a rare occasion. Even for us, this was unusual.”

“Oh.”

Annabeth was silent, waiting to see where Kirsten would go next. This was one of the toughest conversations she’d had, probably since she’d had to break the news to Piper that Jason wasn’t really her boyfriend. It was just as well she hadn’t seen Percy. This conversation was hard enough without having to explain Blackjack, or Percy’s abilities. Finally Kirsten spoke. “It explains so much. Like, I have so many more questions, but so many things make sense now.” Kristen hugged her back. “I’m not going to start seeing these monsters all the time, am I?”

Annabeth shook her head. “No, I shouldn’t think so. The Mist...it’s what keeps mo...” Annabeth caught herself just in time. “Most people from seeing them. It’s usually pretty strong. Really, you would walk by most monsters on the street, and never see them. And they wouldn’t normally bother you. But sometimes, when there’s something big like the sea monster, and it’s that close to you, you can see things that you can’t understand. And the bigger monsters can cause damage and people get hurt. But there are people out there like me, and Percy, and a lot of our friends...we protect you.” 

“You mean that mysterious summer camp of yours,” Kirsten said in a tone of much enlightenment. “You go there to train to fight monsters. And it explains all your scars, and the burns and...did you really fall off a cliff last summer?” she asked, shrewdly, Annabeth thought.

Annabeth took her breath. “It was...more complicated than we made it sound, but yes, I did. We were hunting monsters at the time, though, yes. When I tell you that Percy has saved my life more than once, please know that it’s not an exaggeration of any kind. We’ve saved each other.” She paused. “I don’t think I can really explain it all to you, Kirsten. I’m sorry. People really aren’t even supposed to know this much. It’s...not good to know about it, and know it’s there, and not really be able to see it.”

Kirsten nodded. “Yeah, I can see that. You can’t be terrified of what you don’t know is there.” She shuddered. “I don’t think I want you to tell me more, honestly. I just...didn’t want to think I was going crazy.”

“You’re not,” Annabeth assured her. “I promise. But, Kirsten,” Annabeth turned and took both of her friend’s hands. “If your brain feels like it’s trying to forget, or change what you think you saw…” Annabeth trailed off.

Kirsten looked at her with troubled eyes. “I should probably let it? Not fight it?” Kirsten asked. Annabeth nodded. “Well, if I do. I just want you to know, I think you’re one badass hero, Annabeth Chase.” She hugged her. 

“Thanks,” Annabeth replied, hugging her back. They held each other for a long moment.

Kirsten pulled away and shook her head. “I always knew there was something odd about you, I guess I just didn’t realize how much.’ 

Annabeth smiled wryly. “You don’t know the half of it,” she said.

Kirsten looked at her, and then laughed. “If this is only half of it, I’m not sure I want to know the rest. I do know you’ll always be my friend, though.” Kirsten hugged her tightly again.

“Yes,” Annabeth agreed, holding her tightly. “You helped me get through a lot of crap, even if you didn’t know it, just by being there and not making a big deal about it.” 

“Yeah, I guess so. I didn’t even realize. I just figured you needed space.” Kirsten shrugged. She stood up and crossed the room to her own bed. “I’m going to try not to think about it,” she said.

“That’s probably for the best. The Mist...I know it’s powerful, and a lot of the time, it can make people think they saw something different, even long after the fact. So over time, you might remember this evening differently.” Annabeth climbed onto her bed.

“Okay.” Kirsten shook her head. “It sucks though, because I’ll forget how brave and badass you were.” 

Annabeth smiled. “I’ll remember tonight, though,” she promised her. “And I’ll remember you said it. That’s enough.” It was though, and Annabeth felt giddily warm inside, because of it. 

Kirsten paused, and then: “So, what, are you and Percy going to go out and make a bunch of monster fighting babies, too?” she asked mischievously. 

Annabeth laughed. “Not anytime soon, we’re not,” she assured her. “But maybe someday.”

“Will they be like you guys? Able to see the monsters?” her tone was more serious now. 

“Yes,” Annabeth said. “It’s a...talent that’s passed down. Since we both can, our children will have it stronger than someone who is with someone who can’t see them.”

“Does that worry you?” 

“Terrifies me. And Percy too,” Annabeth admitted. “But we...can do things that will help keep us safer. We can go places…” Annabeth hesitated. “It’s one of the reasons we’re going to college where we are. It’s a safe place, safe from the monsters. Our summer camp is another safe place...sort of,” she allowed. “So we’ll do things to keep our family safe...when that time comes. Which isn’t for a long time,” she added firmly.

Kirsten giggled. “Right.” Then she sobered. “That makes sense though. It also explains why we’ve never heard of this place you’re going to college.”

“Right,” Annabeth confirmed.

“Are there, like a lot of you? A whole society of monster hunters?” Kirsten asked.

Annabeth shrugged. “Um, sort of. More than you’d think, but still, not that many, comparatively speaking.”

Kirsten nodded. “That makes sense, I guess. I just...I have so many questions.” She lay down on her bed, staring at the ceiling. “Like, where do the monsters come from? Why are they here? Are they like, supernatural?” 

“Not...not exactly,” Annabeth answered, a little uneasily. A part of her realized that this would be the perfect opportunity to tell Kirsten everything. To finally share that part of her that was always locked away from everyone she cared about outside of the demigod world. 

While Annabeth was considering this, Kirsten kept chattering on with questions. Annabeth wasn’t sure if Kirsten expected her to answer them all or not, honestly. Kristen would never push if Annabeth said she didn’t want to talk anymore, but she would vocalize them anyway. She was fond of thinking out loud. Annabeth tuned in suddenly, thought, when Kirsten’s externalized internal monologue suddenly veered: “So, are these like, Greek monsters? You and Percy are always swearing in Greek, and you are always mentioning the Greek gods, and you use the plural…” Kirsten trailed off suddenly, as if the idea had suddenly arrested her. She turned to look at Annabeth, now expecting some kind of response.

Annabeth inhaled sharply. “Um…”

Kirsten stared at her for a long moment, and Annabeth could almost  _ see _ the gears turning. “Greek monsters. And who fights Greek monsters…”

Annabeth winced. Her roommate was too smart for her own good. But then, they wouldn’t have been friends otherwise. Annabeth sensed the moment to change this conversation was sipping way from her. She would have to say something quickly or...not...

Kirsten’s eyes went wide. “No. That’s not possible.”

“What’s not?” Annabeth asked, though she was pretty sure she knew.

“All those Greek monsters, they were fought and killed by Greek heroes. And Greek heroes....” Kirsten stared at Annabeth, her eyes gone a little wild. “Were children of Greek gods.”

Annabeth forced a laugh that sounded fake even to her. “That’s ridiculous.” 

“Annabeth,” Kirsten cut her off. “Don’t bullshit. I saw a fucking sea monster this evening. It came from somewhere. If a sea monster is real, then what else is? Tell me the truth. Are the Greek gods real?”

Annabeth froze, uncertain. And then she took a breath. There was no avoiding this. Her only chance to avoid it was to try a Mist trick on her roommate. Which she found she was unwilling to do. Number one, she knew she lacked the confidence to pull it off. Number two, she really didn’t want to. It would feel like a betrayal at this point. “Yes,” she said finally. “They’re real. The monsters are the monsters from Greek myths. They’re both real.”

Kirsten was silent for a moment. “And you’re…? What?” Kirsten got a calculated look on her face. “I’ve never, not once, heard you talk about your mom. Who is she?”

“I’m going to bed now,” Annabeth announced, though she really didn’t mean it. 

“Oh no, you don’t,” Kirsten launched up out of her bed and crossed the room, and sat down on Annabeth’s pillows, preventing her from laying down. “Who is your mom?” Annabeth stared at her in a mix of consternation and anticipation. “I’m trying to remember my Greek goddesses. Um. Aphrodite..” 

Annabeth couldn’t help it. In spite of the situation, she laughed. “Oh, Hades, no,” she said. 

“Oh, oh! Persephone, right? She’s a goddess.”

“No.”

“Well, what about…”

Before she could name another ridiculous idea, Annabeth sighed. “Athena.”

Kirsten blinked, and furrowed her brow. “I thought Athena was a maiden.”

“Well, yes…” Annabeth sighed again. “It’s complicated.”

“Clearly.” 

And so Annabeth tried to explain. For the next half hour, they sat on her bed, and Annabeth explained as much as she could. Her mom, and the gods. She even explained about Percy.

“Poseidon, like the god of the sea? His dad is the  _ god  _ of the  _ sea? _ Like...the ruler of the ocean waves?”

“Yeah.” 

“Holy fuck.” Kirsten said. “Like, no wonder he’s good at swimming.” 

“Yeah.”

She furrowed her brows. “But, like, isn’t Poseidon your uncle or something? Athena is Zeus’s daughter, right, and they’re brothers?”

“The godly part of your DNA doesn’t count,” Annabeth assured her. “Like, I couldn’t date one of my half siblings on my mom’s side. But outside of that, it doesn’t count.”

“How does  _ that _ work?”

Annabeth shrugged. “I don’t know. But that’s how it works. Lots of things don’t make a whole lot of sense. I mean, if Zeus and Hera can be brother and sister…?” Annabeth shook her head. “We try not to think about it.” 

Kirsten blinked. “Yeah. I can see that.” Kirsten shook her head. “I don’t even know where to begin anymore. So many questions.”

Annabeth hesitated. “I...I’m sorry I never told you any of this. A part of me wanted to, especially after last fall, and all the problems I had. But I didn’t want you to think I was crazy. Like, I don’t know how to just...tell someone all of this. But you saw the monster tonight, and you know, now, that it’s real. I can’t….I can’t even begin to tell you how much it meant to me that you just accepted, without knowing.”

Kirsten wordlessly hugged her. “It’s okay,” she assured her finally. “I’m glad I was able to help.” She hesitated. “Can you tell me who Bob was now?”

Annabeth nodded. She took a deep breath. “How much do you know about the Titans...?”

It was the wee hours of the morning, when, exhausted, and spent, and having cried at least three times, Annabeth and Kirsten finally crashed, knowing they’d have to be up in only a few hours for graduation rehearsal. 

“It’s okay,” Kirsten said. “We can come back and take a nap after rehearsal.” 

“Yeah,” Annabeth said, as she crawled into bed, finally, reaching over to turn off the bedside lamp.

“Annabeth?”

“Yeah?”

“Thank you. I know it only happened because of what happened on the cruise, but thanks for letting me into that part of your life. I finally feel like I know you.”

Annabeth knew it partially the exhaustion, and the overwrought emotions of having relieved some of the worst thing that had happened to her, but her eyes began to water again. “No, thank you. For being there for me even when you didn’t.” 

“I guess we’re even then,” Kirsten said. “Try and get some sleep.”

“You too.”

And even though she thought she was too emotional to manage it, Annabeth passed out almost immediately. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Love it? Hate it? Email: TheAuthor@no2ticonderoga.com
> 
> Twitter: no_2Ticonderoga


	53. 53: Percy

Percy felt restless. It was really odd, not to have  _ anything _ to do. Well, that wasn’t exactly true, his Mom had been bugging him about doing a load of laundry and tidying his room again, but that wasn’t the same. He had no looming deadlines, no outstanding papers, no tests left to study for. He was going to walk across the stage in two days, and he would be a graduate. 

Normally, he would have dealt with this uncomfortable feeling of  _ nothing _ by hanging out with Annabeth, but she was going on her cruise. So Percy decided to text his swim team pals and see if anyone wanted to do some laps in the pool. Kamal said he’d be happy to come time him and Yose and Gianna said they would come too. Josh and Darah were on a date, Emma didn’t feel like coming back into the city, and San never responded. 

Percy was the first one there. The Y’s lane swim time was not usually crowded, but there were a few other people at the pool today. Percy recognized a couple of other regulars. He had them pegged as aspiring actors. Wall Street types who wanted to keep fit usually could afford better than the Y for fitness purposes. Percy picked a lane well away from the others, though, so as to leave some room for his friends coming later. 

He got into the water, and started warming up. He did some easy laps back and forth down the pool, freestyle first. Kamal had appeared by the time Percy had finished his third down and back, and he took the lane next to Percy to begin his own warm up. 

Percy’s advantage in the water, as far as his coach was concerned, and the others, was his enormous lung capacity. He could keep his head down longer underwater than most of the other swimmers, which gave him a hydrodynamic advantage. But really, of course, it was just that he could breathe underwater, which his competitors (as far as Percy knew) could not do. But he had to be careful about it. As much as he could take advantage of his talents, he knew he also couldn’t push at the bounds of credulity. He couldn’t, for example, stay completely submerged for an entire 50 meter sprint. That would look kinda strange on the TV cameras. 

It cost him time, though, and it also made it hard for Percy to be really good at the more technical strokes. There were just so many things to remember, adding “act like I’m breathing” on top of it was a bit much. It was why freestyle was his best stroke, there was less to remember, and it was more instinctive. 

Percy finished his lap, and grabbed the pool deck to catch his breath. He might have been able to breath underwater, but he still had to grab some oxygen after a hard lap. 

“Hey.” Gianna and Yose were standing at the edge of the pool watching him. 

“Hey guys,” Percy said. “Thanks for coming.”

“Hey, it’s not like we had anything else to be doing tonight. Might as well swim, right?” Yose shrugged, as she sat down and slid into the lane beyond where Kamal was swimming. “And we can help whip your ass into shape.”

Percy chuckled. “I’ll be sure and mention that in any interviews they make me do. ‘I’m especially grateful to all my teammates from Goode High, who helped whip my ass into shape’. It’ll make for great TV.”

Yose flicked water at him. “Asshole.”

“Takes one to know one,” he shot back. Gianna laughed.

“Okay, enough. How are you feeling, you ready to do some timed runs?” Gianna asked Percy.

Percy nodded. “Actually, I want to start with an 800, but can you time the 100 meter splits?” he asked. “I know that’s not my usual distance, and it’s not at the Olympics right now, but it is at the World Championship,” he admitted. “And I want to try and push a little bit, see if I can’t get the times down on that. Maybe I can qualify in more than one area.”

Gianna nodded. “And more endurance never hurts anyone. I’ll go find a whiteboard and a marker. There’s got to be one in the pool office.”

Percy nodded, and Gianna padded toward the pool office, while Yose began her warm up laps. Kamal splashed up in the next lane over, and bobbed in the water at the end of the pool. “Hey, Perce.” He held out his hand and Percy clasped it briefly. “What are you going to go for?” 

“I’m going to go an 800 to get started, but Gianna’s going to time the 100s,” he said. “I’m going to start expanding my range a little.” 

Kamal nodded. “Want someone to pace you?” 

Percy snorted. “Pace me? You think you can keep up?”

“You’re on, brother,” Kamal began climbing out of the pool to set in the starting blocks. 

Gianna returned with the whiteboard and marker, the stopwatch and a whistle. Percy and Kamal set in the blocks, and tensed, waiting for the start. The whistle blew and Percy launched himself into the water. 

He thundered down the pool, focusing on speed, focusing on the water and the currents around him. He didn’t manipulate them, per se, that would have felt wrong, like cheating, but he could feel where the water gave the least resistance, almost like finding the soft spots. And he did allow the water to strengthen him. He imagined that he could probably compete at the super-long distances, like the 1500 meter, but he might keel over when he climbed back out of the pool. Maybe if he could build up some conventional endurance first. 

He was onto his second 100 meters before he realized it, and was feeling pretty good. He wanted to push, but he knew he would have to pace himself. Eight hundred was a long distance, twice as long as anything Percy had competed in during the season. 

He tapped the wall and made his turn into the first leg of his 500 meters. He was at least part of a lap ahead of Kamal, since he passed Kamal coming out of the turn and Kamal hadn’t gone into his turn yet. Percy pushed a little harder, and focused on speed.

He started to feel it into his 700 meter turn, but he could also hear Gianna and Yose cheering from the pool deck. That gave him a boost, and he focused on the water. 

He felt his muscles burning by the time he went into his final turn. He pushed through and tapped the wall and became aware that Gianna and Yose were screaming at him. He bobbed up out of the water and shook his hair. “What?”

“ _ Dude!” _ Yose cried out. “Your last three splits were better than your first three!” 

“Percy,” Gianna held up the white board. “All of these splits were better than your times at states.” 

Kamal, Percy realized, was still swimming. “What length is he on?” Percy panted.

“You were almost a full 100 meters ahead of him,” Yose replied. Gianna had hurried off to the pool office and was returning with the three ring binder that kept all the current major swimming records on printouts in waterproof sleeves. She was flipping through it. 

“Fuck, Percy,” she said, running her finger across the page. “That’s not just a New York state record, it would have been a collegiate record, and would have even been a record at the US nationals.”

Kamal finished his laps, and Gianna clicked the time on the stopwatch. Kamal panted as he bobbed up. “Shit, man,” he breathed. “You were, like, miles ahead.” 

Percy pushed away from the wall to tread water and do a little cool down. “A good day, I guess.”

“You fuckin’ guess?” Yose said incredulously. “Jesus, Percy you swim like that next summer, you’ll need an armored car to get home.”

Percy splashed some water on his face. “Well, I’ve gotta keep it up. So, I’ll hop out, and if you guys want to do some laps, I’ll take a turn timing you, and then I’ll hop in and work on some breaststroke.”

Percy climbed out of the pool, and let the girls take a turn. To everyone’s surprise, San arrived part way through the girls’ laps. “Hey man,” Percy said. “I didn’t think you were coming.”

San shrugged. “I didn’t respond because I wasn’t sure I was going to come, but then I realized I really didn’t have anything else to do and I was bored.”

“Well, we’re glad you came,” Kamal told him, giving him a high five. 

“Thanks,” San replied. 

“You and Kamal can take some laps,” Percy offered. 

“Uh uh,” Kamal protested. “You need to get back in the water my friend. Standing around on the pool deck will not get you to the Olympics.”

“Kamal’s right,” San agreed. “You and I can do the next race.” 

So Percy raced San in the 200 breast, winning comfortably, but not the same pace as his freestyle. His friends kept him in the pool, insisted on timing him every lap split, and pushed him. Percy was touched by their efforts, and appreciated their support more than he could express. 

They stayed at the pool for the better part of two hours, until the people from the Y came in to start rolling up the lane dividers to get ready for the evening water aerobics class, or some such silliness. Reluctantly, the soon-to-be former high school students made way for a bunch of old folks. 

“You guys want to get some food?” Kamal asked as they gathered up their towels and headed for the locker rooms. 

“I’m game,” Percy agreed. “San?”

“I could eat.” San finished toweling his head.

“Sounds good to us,” Yose added. “I got no reason to go hurry home.” 

They shot her sympathetic looks. “Trouble?” San asked.

“My Abuela is in town for my graduation,” Yose sighed. “Which I have really mixed feelings about. On one hand, I’m happy she came up from San Juan, but on the other hand, she’s very old fashioned. And I’m not out to her, and my mother alternates between threatening to out me and being terrified Abuela will find out. So it kinda sucks.”

There was a murmur of agreement. Percy and the other guys went into the locker room to shower and change. The locker room was crowded with old guys changing for the water aerobics class, so they all showered quickly. Percy stuffed his swim stuff into his bag and checked his phone. There weren’t any messages from Annabeth, so he turned the ringer back on, and put it in his pocket. 

They met back up in the main lobby of the Y. “So what are we feeling?” Gianna asked.

“There’s that shawarma place around the corner,” San offered. “I always liked that place.” 

Percy shrugged. “Works for me. I’m up for anything.”

“Yeah, I could go for shawarma,” Kamal agreed. “You guys?” 

“Sounds good to us,” Gianna nodded.

They made their way around the corner to the restaurant, which was little more than a storefront with a couple of tables. 

“Can’t believe it’s like, two days away,” Gianna commented as they got their food.

“I know, right?”

“You guys got any plans for after?” Kamal asked.

Yose shook her head. “Not with Abuela in town. It’ll be all family stuff on Friday night, pretty much until she heads back to San Juan on Sunday...afternoon, after Mass, of course.” Yose rolled her eyes. “I’m going to have to wear a dress, like three days in a row.” 

“I’m sure you’ll look amazing,” Gianna promised her, with grin. “You did at prom.”

“Prom’s different,” Yose objected. “I  _ wanted _ to wear that dress. I don’t want to wear whatever old lady dress they’re going to make me wear.” 

“Fair,” Gianna allowed.

“What about you?” San asked Percy. “Do you have any plans?”

“Well, Annabeth is graduating on Saturday, and then we’re leaving for California for a week on Monday, to go check out school,” he told them.

“Sweet, like orientation?”

“Partly,” Percy answered. “We also might look at places to stay, if we decide not to stay in the dorms.”

“Like, if you move in together?” Kamal asked. 

Percy nodded. “Something like that.” 

“I still can’t believe you are actually getting married,” San shook his head. “My parents would kill me if I tried to do something like that.”

“Are you hiding a steady girlfriend somewhere we don’t know about?” Yose teased him.

“No,” he rolled his eyes and shook his head. “I just mean, doing something that far outside of the normal. Everything must be in order and in its place. High school, college, and so on.”

Percy shrugged. “My mom and I have never been exactly normal,” he admitted. “We don’t have much normal to use as an example.”

“Dude, your life has been anything  _ but _ normal,” Gianna laughed. “Like that whole thing when you were twelve? Like, what the fuck, man?”

“I know, right?” Kamal added. “I don’t think you’ve ever told us the whole story there, from your side. What the hell happened?”

Percy stuffed a bite of shawarma in his mouth to buy some time to think. He decided he’d let them start it off. He swallowed his bite and shrugged. “What do you want to know?”

“Like, seriously, you really got kidnapped and dragged across country?” Gianna asked. Percy nodded. “Why? Who was the guy, and what did he want?”

“I dunno who he was. Big angry guy. Big black coat, and a shotgun. Among other things. Threatened to kill us if we didn’t go along with him. Never really hurt us, but he sure as Hades scared the shit out of us.”

“But you tried to get away, right? Like, a couple of times?” Kamal asked.

“Yeah,” Percy nodded. “There was the one time on the bus in New Jersey. He was trying to beat up some old ladies, and we got in the middle of it. It was pretty confused there.”

“What about St. Louis?” Yose asked. “Did you like, blow up the arch thing?”

“No, that was the dude,” Percy waved this off. “He had some kind of hand grenade. I’m not sure what his deal was there.” He shrugged. “After that, we kept heading west. I kept trying to figure out how to escape, but I couldn’t just take off on my own.” Darah had let slip that Annabeth had told her that this was how he and Annabeth had met. “I mean, I couldn’t abandon the girl of my dreams.”

Gianna laughed. “Did you know that even then?”

“No,” Percy admitted. “Most of the time, I thought she was an insufferable know-it-all,” he added. “But I still couldn’t abandon her. Or Grover.”

“How did you finally get away?” San asked.

Percy had to think fast on that one. “Well, I finally got a chance to grab the shotgun he had. But it was super heavy, and I could never really get a good hold on it. He panicked and shot at me with another gun, but he missed and blew up some cop cars.”

“What happened to him? Did you shoot him?”

“No,” Percy shook his head. “In all the confusion from the explosion, he just...took off. He somehow managed to slip into the mob and escape. No one ever saw him again. No one knows what he wanted originally. He just appeared, kidnapped three kids, dragged them across the country, and then disappeared.”

Gianna shook her head. “That’s messed up. Like, he could still be out there.”

“Totally fucked up,” Yose agreed. 

Percy shrugged. “Yeah. But we’re okay, that’s what matters.”

“I’ll drink to that,” Kamal said, raising his can of Coke. “To our future Olympian.” 

Percy couldn’t help the shudder that went through him at that description.  _ No thanks,  _ he thought.  _ Been there, turned that down. _ But he knew what they really meant. 

“No shit,” Gianna agreed, raising her Sprite. “That was some serious swimming tonight, Perce,” she added.

“Yeah,” San concurred. “You were really on tonight.”

“Kicking ass,” Yose added. 

“You keep swimming like that, you’re going to leave Phelps in your wake,” Kamal told him.

“Hells yeah,” Gianna and Kamal exchanged a high five.

“And we’ll be able to say, ‘I knew that guy’,” San added. 

Percy didn’t say much to this, he just sort of grinned weakly. If there was any part of his dream that he was unsure about, it was the potential for fame. He wasn’t sure he wanted the scrutiny that came with it. But it was something he would have to learn to deal with, however it came. 

They finished up their shawarma and headed out the door. They headed toward the nearest subway station, San would be headed uptown, Yose and Gianna downtown, and Kamal and Percy crosstown. They were almost to the stairwell when Percy heard a familiar voice.

_ Boss! Boss!  _

Percy glanced upward to see Blackjack swooping down toward him between the buildings. 

“Hey, guys,” Percy called to his friends. “I just remembered, my mom asked me to hit the store on the way home. There’s one just up here, I’m going to head there before I catch the train. See you guys at graduation rehearsal?”

They bade Percy their farewells, and disappeared down the stairs to the subway as Blackjack dropped to a landing on the sidewalk next to him. No one in the mid-evening crowd of New Yorkers seemed to notice him. 

“What’s up, pal?” Percy asked.

_ Big trouble, Boss,  _ the pegasus replied.  _ Big trouble. We gotta go.  _

Percy felt his stomach clench, as he climbed onto Blackjack’s back. He adjusted the strap on his swim bag, slinging it around Blackjack’s neck, to keep both his hands free. “What’s wrong?”

Blackjack launched himself into the air.  _ Big sea monster. Headed this way. _

“Sea monster? What kind of a sea monster?” 

_ Nasty.  _

That didn’t help much, but to be fair, Blackjack probably didn’t know. “How do you know about it?”

_ Your dad sent me to find you.  _

“Dad? Dad sent you?”

_ Uh huh. He says he’s been tracking it up Long Island Sound. He says they thought they killed it in the Titan War, but it either got away, or came back last summer. It’s the one he sent against Cassiopia, the one Perseus killed. _

“Oh. Great,” Percy replied. Now at least he had an idea of what he was dealing with. His mom used to tell him the Perseus myths all the time. For obvious reasons. “How come he can’t just call it back?”

_ No good. He lost control of it after Perseus sent it to Tartarus the first time. It ran into bad influences. _

“In Tartarus? No way,” Percy muttered. “Why doesn’t he just zap it?” he asked, more loudly.

_ It’s playing hide and seek in the sea lanes. Too much risk of hitting something else. _

Percy swore under his breath. “Okay, fine, let’s go find ourselves a sea monster.”

They flew out over the city, Blackjack angling toward Long Island and the East River. 

“How can we not find this thing?” Percy asked. “Isn’t it supposed to be huge?” 

_ Dunno, Boss,  _ Blackjack replied. 

Percy cursed again, as they cut northward toward Randalls Island. The daylight was fading, which wasn’t helping much. “Let’s get lower after we cross the island,” Percy told Blackjack. “The river narrows up a lot there, so if it’s headed for the harbor, we might spot it. 

The question of  _ what to do when I find it _ was one he would have to put hold for the moment. He remembered that Perseus used Medusa’s head to kill it before, at least in some versions of the myth. In others he stabbed it in the back. He didn’t have Medusa’s head anymore, so he was going to have to hope that stabbing it would do the trick. 

Blackjack brought them down to skim the water between Randalls Island and Rikers. Percy scanned the surface for disturbances. They also had to be careful to keep an eye on the sky. They didn’t want to get rammed by an airline coming into or going out of LaGuardia. 

The river was crowded with commercial traffic, complicating his task. There were ferries and tugs, both alone and pulling barges. And innumerable small craft, fishing, or out for an early summer evening’s cruise. 

_ Boss, look! _

Percy turned and looked up the channel between North and South Brother Island. Something had disturbed the water with enough force to set a half dozen fishermen’s boats rocking violently. It was headed straight for them. 

“I’m going to jump,” he told Blackjack. “Stay nearby, just in case.”

_ You got it, Boss! _

Percy leapt into the water. He had Riptide out and ready, and he turned and faced the monster as he sank into the water. It was gloomy in the water, with the sun already setting, but the massive shape was barreling toward him. Fast. Faster that it had any right to. 

“Shit,” Percy swore. He swerved to the side, and took a swipe at the monster as it charged past. It had apparently been content to ignore him up till now, but he must have connected with it at least a little, because it turned in the water, as if coming up short. 

Riptide’s Celestial Bronze made an eerie green glow in the water, but the Monster’s eyes glowed red, as it focused on Percy.

“Got your attention, now, did I?” Percy taunted.

The monster opened its mouth and roared. An interesting trick, underwater, but then, Percy could breath and talk under water, so...yeah, no judgements.

“Impressive,” Percy told it.

He barely had time to react and the monster’s tail whipped around and caught him across the chest. Percy found himself flung out of the water, and flying through the air, before landing back in the water, several hundred yards away. Riptide had flown in another direction, and Percy cursed. He would have to wait until it reappeared in his pocket. He shook his head to clear it, and swam back to the surface. He looked around, and saw he’d been launched nearly to South Brother Island. He swam for the shore, waving to Blackjack who came in and landed on the beach.

_ You okay, Boss? _

“Yeah, I’m fine.” Percy cursed colorfully.

_ Wow, Boss, you sound like that scary horse that Hazel knows.  _

“Shut up,” Percy grumbled, as he climbed back on. “Let’s try something else, c’mon.”

They took off and flew back in the direction the monster was headed. It was clearly making a beeline for the harbor, for whatever reason. It would be heading into Hell Gate any minute now. Percy could see it making ripples on the water. As it passed under the Hell Gate Bridge, Percy had an idea. “Get lower,” he ordered Blackjack. “Under the next bridge.”

Blackjack swooped down under the RFK bridge, and Percy pulled at the water. He tried to make it solid, like a wall. 

It was hard, manipulating that much water. Percy felt sweat starting to breakout on his forehead as he crafted the wall. And then the monster slammed into it. 

Percy gasped at the pressure. The monster roared in anger, and rose up out of the water, its long, serpentine neck swinging back and forth like a cobra in a snake charmer’s basket. It roared, shot flames into the air, and then it slammed down on the wall, and Percy’s control snapped. The monster shot forward, under the bridge, and down the river.

_ That thing is ugly, Boss. How are we going to get rid of it? _

“I’m working on it,” he muttered. He wished Annabeth was here. She could think of something better and quicker than this.

The trick with the wall was sort of successful. But it needed to be more targeted. Maybe…

_ Boss! _ Blackjack exclaimed.

The monster was racing down the East River now, causing all kinds of headaches. Tugboats lurched from side to side in the passing wake of the monster. Small craft struggled to stay upright. It was already racing past Roosevelt Island. Percy could see his apartment building as Blackjack passed over the Queensboro Bridge.

_ What are we going to do, Boss?  _ Blackjack queried.

“I think I have an idea,” Percy told him. “Try and get ahead of him, maybe by the Navy Yard.” 

_ Got it, Boss. _

Blackjack put on some speed, and they passed over the Williamsburg Bridge, and hovered over the bend in the river. There was still a lot of traffic here, which made Percy nervous. He concentrated on the water. Instead of a wall, he concentrated on forming a thick cord, like a lasso. As the monster got close, Percy tried to adjust it so that the lasso went around the monster’s neck.

It worked, after a fashion. The monster swam into the loop, but Percy couldn’t get it closed fast enough. He ended up with a tight cinch around the monster’s midsection. It began to thrash violently, swinging its head around and it’s tail. 

Riptide had returned to his pocket, but Percy knew there was no point in getting it out. There was no way he could have gotten close enough to try anything, not with the way it was thrashing. He had to let it go, since it was threatening to cause a tidal wave that would swamp the buildings at the Navy Yard, and across the river along FDR Drive. Percy let the water go. He slumped forward a bit.

_ You okay, Boss?  _ Blackjack asked.

Percy took a breath. “Just a little tired. It’s been a long day, and I didn’t need this.” He paused. “I can’t stop this thing here in the river. There’s too many people around, too many obstacles. We’ll have to wait till it gets to open water.”

Percy directed Blackjack to fly out toward the harbor. They flew out past Governors Island, and as they circled there, just over the harbor, Percy realized he’d made a serious mistake. The fading sunlight meant that he could no longer pick out the monster’s wake, and as the water deepened and the channel widened, there was less to see. 

“Can you see anything?” Percy asked Blackjack.

_ No, _ the pegasus replied.

Percy swore again.

_ Jezz, Boss.  _

Percy ignored him. 

There were a lot of ships in the harbor, many lit brightly. There was the bright orange Staten Island Ferry, making its way toward Manhattan. There were other ferries moving between Manhattan and New Jersey, as well as Manhattan and Brooklyn. There was a big Coast Guard cutter. There was a Navy ship of some kind, further out. A container ship was on its way into the terminal in Brooklyn. There was a cruise ship coming in from Bermuda. There were the mid-sized harbor cruise ships, about 10 of them, or so, scattered around the harbor. There were hundreds of small pleasure craft. And beyond them, the lights of the Verrazano Narrows Bridge. 

“I can’t lose this thing now,” Percy ground out, eyes scanning the water. He watched the water between Manhattan and Governors Island, searching for any trace of it’s passage. He quartered the sea, head swiveling. 

For a second, he thought he saw something over by the Statue of Liberty, but it turned out to be a NYPD boat with its lights going. 

_ Boss! Over here!  _ Blackjack swerved and headed toward the Jersey Shore. Percy spotted the Monster. It was rearing up out of the water, near a tugboat towing a string of barges. It breathed fire over the barges, setting something ablaze. 

“Oh, shit,” Percy groaned. “C’mon,” he urged Blackjack.

They flew closer to the barge. The monster was sniffing around, like it was looking for food. Percy realized it must have found the garbage barges coming down river and headed for New Jersey.

Percy gathered a column of water and dumped it onto the barge, dousing the fire. The monster must have seen him though, because it spewed fire in his direction, causing Blackjack to jinx away, and then it dove back under the water.

Percy sighed. “Did you see which way it went?”

_ Sorry, Boss. Too busy trying not to get barbecued.  _

“It’s okay. Let’s get some altitude, see what we can see.”

Blackjack obliged by climbing higher. But now the sun was pretty much completely down, and the only illumination came from the ships in the harbor. Percy grumbled and cursed under his breath. Blackjack just snorted.

Percy was sure that if Annabeth was here, she’d come up with a good plan to find the thing. Percy had a pretty good idea now of how he was going to kill it, if he could manage it. He wasn’t sure how he would juggle concentrating on the water rope and his sword, though…

It took a moment before Percy realized he was looking at the monster, since his thoughts were caught up in his planning. It had run into one of the harbor cruise ships, it looked like. Maybe an accident? But it was now rearing up and snapping at the deck.

“Go!” Percy ordered Blackjack, and they dove toward the monster. As they got closer, Percy thought he saw a person jump from the upper deck of the ship toward the monster.  _ Who in the pit of Tartarus would be crazy enough.. _

“Oh, fuck! Blackjack, it’s Annabeth!”

_ What?! _ But he sped up anyway.

Annabeth had landed about 10 yards behind the monster’s head, and was clinging on for all she was worth, jabbing at the monster’s neck with her knife. 

Gods, he loved this woman.

But she was going to be in trouble in a minute. 

“Hey Ugly!” he called, to get the monster’s attention. “You wanna come play?”

And then he concentrated on the harbor. Large waterspouts erupted all around the monster, transforming into solid ropes that began to wrap around the monster. They lifted it out of the water with a jerk. Annabeth lost her grip on the monster’s neck, but Blackjack dove toward her without a command, and Percy plucked her out of the air, wrapping his arms around her and settling her onto Blackjack in front of him. 

_ Nice catch, Boss! _

“Hey, you’re not supposed to get in this kind of trouble without me,” Percy scolded her, holding her tightly.  _ Gods.  _ If something had happened to her before he’d gotten here… He shivered. 

“How did you get here?” she asked him.

“Blackjack came and found me. They’ve been tracking this thing up Long Island sound,” he shouted over the din.

“How did it get here?” She sounded annoyed. He didn’t blame her.  _ He  _ was annoyed.

“Dad’s not sure, Blackjack says,” he replied. “They thought they had accounted for it during the Titan War, but it’s possible that it slipped off into the deep ocean and has been nursing it’s wounds since, or maybe it came back last summer when Gaea opened Tartarus and never put in appearance. Either way, it’s gotta go away.” The monster lashed out and Blackjack swerved. Percy cursed.

“No kidding,” Annabeth snorted. “So what’s the plan?”

Until he had Annabeth, he hadn’t been sure. Now he knew what to do. “I hold it and get us close, and you kill it,” he said. “Riptide will make a much bigger dent than your knife. Though serious props for taking that thing on solo. You have no idea how sexy that is.” He waggled his eyebrows suggestively, though she couldn’t see him. 

"Shut up. Now is  _ not _ the time,” she growled. “How are you going to hold it?”

“Like this,” he said. He returned his full concentration to the ropes of water. Slowly, the water began to wrap itself around the monster, beginning at its tail, and working up the monster. It was hard work, and Percy felt the strain.

“Impressive,” Annabeth noted. 

Percy only grunted as he continued to concentrate. One strand around the monster’s midsection dissolved, as it thrashed against its constraints. But that was why he was using more than one. 

Percy directed Blackjack lower, to give him a better angle on watching the progress of the water. Annabeth gave a little jerk. 

“What are you doing?” she demanded.

“Sorry, I’m trying to control several thousands tons of seawater,” Percy said from between gritted teeth. “My flying might not be fully up to par.”

“Well, don’t dump me off,” she reminded him.

“Yes, ma’am.” He reached into his pocket and handed her Riptide. She would be able to concentrate on stabbing and not falling off. Percy wasn’t sure he would be able to hold the water, let alone stab and fly as well. Better to let Annabeth do the stabbing. She uncapped it, and held it expertly as they circled around again. 

Finally, the ropes of water reached the monster’s head. He focused and tugged the ropes tight. The creature’s jaws snapped shut.  _ No more breathing fire for you, _ he thought.

“C’mon Blackjack, let’s go,” he called. 

Blackjack swooped low, under the monster. Percy moved the ropes slightly, so that the monster’s unprotected underbelly was visible between them. “This is going to have to be fast,” he ground out. “I’m not sure how much longer I can hold this.” Sweat poured down his forehead as he struggled with his concentration. It felt like carrying an enormous weight on his shoulders. And he knew something about that. 

Annabeth took Riptide and stabbed upward into the monster, which roared in pain, but did not dissolve right away. She must have missed the heart. “A little further to the left, I think,” Percy bit out. Annabeth stabbed again. This time, the monster howled, and shuddered. It began to glow golden, and spreading out from where she’d stabbed, it dissolved into golden dust. 

Percy sagged in relief, blinking monster dust out of his eyes, and letting the water crash back down to the harbor. His muscles burned in protest. He was going to be super sore tomorrow, he realized. It was a good thing he could sleep in. Graduation rehearsal wasn’t until 1. 

“Well, that was exciting,” he panted. “Blackjack, put us down on that ship down there, somewhere you can find a spot.” 

_ You got it, Boss! Good work! _

“You okay?” Annabeth asked. She must have felt him sagging against her. She capped Riptide and handed it back to him. 

“Better now that you’re safe,” he assured her. And wasn’t  _ that _ the truth. He sighed. “If I’d known I was going to be fighting a sea monster, I don’t know if I would have done those extra laps in the pool.” His back felt like fire. 

“Were you practicing?” she asked. 

“A bunch of us got together to swim some laps,” he explained. “We were getting shawarma when Blackjack showed up.” At least they’d finished eating, he reflected. He didn’t know if he could have done this on an empty stomach. 

“Did you get any food beforehand?” she asked, concerned. 

“Yeah, I’m good,” he assured her. It was cute, how concerned she was. 

Blackjack flared his wings and landed just behind the bridge. Annabeth turned and hugged Percy tightly. “Thank you for coming for me,” she said, holding him close.

“Always,” he promised her. “I love you.” He kissed her cheek. 

“Love you, too.” She released him. “I should go. I have no idea what anybody made of all this.”

Percy winced. “I hope you’re not in trouble.” He hated to think she might get in trouble this close to graduation. He would be horrified if this put her in jeopardy of some kind.

“Me, too, but it should be fine. I’m rarely in trouble, and we’re only like, three days from graduation.” She brushed herself down, and Percy watched appreciatively as she hiked up her dress and slipped her dagger back into its sheath on her thigh. That was a nice view that he could appreciate. “Thanks, Blackjack,” she said as she slid off.

_ No problem, Boss Lady! You take good care of the Boss! _

Percy smiled. “He says no problem,” he translated loosely. “Text me later?” 

“Absolutely.” Her smile took his breath away. Not that he had much to spare.

“Enjoy the rest of the cruise,” he called as Blackjack flapped his wings and took off.

Percy sagged in exhaustion as Blackjack headed back to Manhattan.

_ You okay, Boss? _

“Yeah,” he sighed. “Just tired. That was...hard work.”

_ I bet it was. Do you want to get some donuts? They always cheer me up.  _

Percy laughed in spite of himself. “I’ll make you a deal. If you take me straight home, I promise I’ll bring a box of a dozen next time I come to camp. From that bakery on 54th Street you like so much.”

_ The frosted kind? _

“The frosted kind,” Percy assured him. 

_ It’s a deal. _

Blackjack set down on the roof of Percy’s building a few minutes later, and Percy climbed down. “Thanks, pal,” Percy said. “We did good work today.”

_ Thanks to you, Boss. No more nasty sea monster. Well, you and the Boss Lady. _

Percy smiled. “No, I couldn’t have done it without Annabeth, that’s for sure,” he agreed. “Be safe flying back to camp, and I’ll see you soon.” He unstrapped his bag from Blackjack and slung it over his shoulder.

_ You got it, Boss! _

Blackjack took off, and Percy made his way to the roof access. It was, fortunately, open. He’d only once been locked out on the roof, but he managed to jump down one story to the closest fire escape and make his way down to his own window. 

“Hey, Mom,” he called when he entered the apartment. “I’m home.” His mom was in the living room with Paul. 

“Oh! There you are,” she noted. “Did you run into trouble after swimming?” she asked, looking him over. He probably still had monster dust in his hair. 

He sighed. “Yeah, Blackjack came and found me. Had to deal with a sea monster in the harbor. It’s gone now. I’m wiped out. I’m gonna go take a shower.”

“Good idea, dear,” she replied. She rose from the couch. “You’re tracking monster dust.”

Percy looked behind him, and realized he was leaving a dusting of golden particles where he walked. “Shit, I’m sorry.”

“Language, dear,” she scolded lightly. 

“I’ll clean it up,” he promised.

“No, no, you go shower. I’ll take care of it,” she assured him.

“How was swimming?” Paul asked, as Percy crossed through the room on his way to the bathroom.

“Oh, great. I had some good times,” Percy replied. He didn’t want to tell them what Gianna had told him. He didn’t want to get their hopes up. “I wish I hadn’t pushed so hard, given that I ended up fighting a sea monster, but hey, it was a good workout, right?”

Paul grinned. “Right.”

Percy dropped his bag on the floor of his bedroom (he’d deal with it later), grabbed some clothes and went to the bathroom. He stripped down and took a long shower, washing the dust and grit and sweat and chlorine off. It felt glorious. He was just toweling off when his phone, on the vanity counter, pinged. 

_ You make it home okay? _

He responded immediately:  _ Yeah  _ 👍

_ How are you feeling? _

He felt better now that he’d showered, but he was still tired:  _ Ugh  _ 😴

_ Well, don’t wait up on my account. Go get some sleep. _

_ Nah too wound up.  _ He doubted he could sleep right now. He’d need to find something to do to shut down his brain. 

_ How was swimming? _

👍

_ Did you have any good times? _

Percy paused for a long moment. He didn’t want to get Annabeth’s hopes up either, but he was kinda excited about it.  _ Yeah i guess _

_ What’s that supposed to mean? _

He typed:  _ Gianna says i set a us record in the 800m free. _

_ WHAT? _

🤷

_ Percy!? _

_ She said my  _ ⏰  _ would have brkn the US nat. rec  _ Okay, now he was bragging a little. But if you couldn't brag to your fiancée, who could you brag to? 

_ That’s amazing! _

He tempered her expectations a little.  _ Yeah its cool well see if i can do it next summer _

_ Imagine how much better you’re going to be with a year of training and better practice. _

He laughed out loud at that, as he started to dress.  _ Im scared lol _

_ I love you. _

💗  _ u 2 wise girl _

She didn’t respond, so he assumed she’d gone back to the dance. He exited the bathroom. Mom had cleaned up the mess he’d made and was back on the couch, watching TV with Paul.

“Where’s Estelle?” he asked.

“Sleeping.” Mom checked her watch. “Should be getting up anytime now, though.” 

Percy nodded.

“Oh, while you were in the shower, someone brought a letter for you,” Paul said. “I answered the door while your mom was vacuuming.”

“A letter?” Percy was surprised. “Who dropped it off?”

“I don’t know,” Paul said. “He didn’t say. Just asked for you and I said you were in the shower. He had me sign for it.”

“Dark haired guy? Little taller than me?” Percy asked.

“Yeah, I think so. Wearing a postman’s outfit, which I thought strange at this hour of the night,” Paul said, sounding puzzled.

Percy laughed. “Congratulations, Paul, you’ve just met your third Olympian god. That was Hermes.” Paul’s mouth hung open in astonishment and Percy laughed again. “Where’s the letter?”

“I left it on the kitchen table,” Paul managed.

Percy found the letter and picked it up. It was a blue envelope, with his name,  _ Perseus  _ written in neat writing on the front. It was his dad’s writing, he recognized it from the last time. Percy broke the seal and opened the letter.

_ Percy, _

_ First of all, thank you for dealing with the sea monster. I’m sorry it got away from us, but once it got up into the shipping lanes, I couldn’t deal with it directly.  _

_ Secondly, I wanted to let you know how proud I am of you that you will be graduating this weekend. It’s been a very,  _ _ very _ _ , long time since I had a child old enough to come of age in the mortal world. Unfortunately, I’m not going to be able to attend your graduation ceremony. My brother is getting annoyed with how involved some of us have become with our demigod children, myself and Athena included, especially while Apollo is still on his quest. But do not think that I am any less proud of you. _

_ I am also very proud of your plans to swim at the Olympics. You know how much we love the Olympics, and I couldn’t be more pleased that you’re going to give it a shot. I think you will do very well. And it will give me lots to brag about. I’ve had to put up with people like Apollo and Hermes and even Ares bragging about their kids bringing home medals for a long time without being able to respond. I know you’ll do me proud.  _

_ I will try and visit you on your 18th birthday, as it is an extremely important milestone for you. Though the date for coming of age has changed a lot over the years, it remains an important moment in a demigods life. Survival to adulthood is not something to be taken lightly, in any era.  _

_ That doesn’t mean it won’t still be occasionally exciting. Or painful. You are strong, and so is Annabeth, and while I don’t doubt you will weather what is coming, I don’t pretend to think it will be easy.  _

_ Safe journeys, my son. _

The letter was unsigned, but it wasn’t as if he didn’t know who it was from. 

It made him feel good, though. His heart warmed at the lines concerning his graduation, and his disappointment that he wouldn’t come to graduation was only mild. It wasn’t as if he’d really been expecting him, and the knowledge that Zeus was getting annoyed mitigated that disappointment even more. While he normally didn’t really care how annoyed Thunderbritches got, he knew that it wasn’t healthy for long term Olympian relations for dad to push his brother’s buttons too much.

The last part of the letter concerned him. This was the second warning delivered by an Olympian in the last few weeks that pointed to something bad happening. He didn’t like it. He really wished Iris messages were working beyond New York. He would give a lot to be able to talk to someone from Camp Jupiter, just to see what was going on.

He was glad, though, that his dad would try and come for his birthday. It meant a lot to him, even if it pissed off Zeus. Zeus could go…

“What did the letter say, honey?” his mom interrupted his train of thought. Wordlessly he passed it to her. She scanned down the page. “Oh, that’s nice, that he’ll try and come for your birthday.” He noted she made no reference to the warning. It didn’t help to dwell on things you couldn’t control. 

Percy nodded. “Yeah, I’m looking forward to that.”

“How was swimming this evening?” she asked.

“It was good,” Percy told her. “I had some great times,” he admitted. “If Gianna really did get an accurate time, they’re really, really good.”

“Oh yeah?”

“Yeah. And I can still get better.” He nodded. “I really think this is in reach,” he told her.

His mom smiled at him. “I’m sure it is. I’m proud of you, Percy.”

He yawned involuntarily, and tried to stifle it.

“You should get some sleep,” his mom told him. “You’ve had a busy day.”

Laying down sounded pretty awesome, to be honest. The good feelings from the warm shower were fading, and pretty much everything ached. He hoped he would even be able to move in the morning. “Yeah,” he agreed. “I’m going. I’m not setting an alarm in the morning. I don’t have to be at graduation rehearsal till 1.”

“Okay, dear,” his mother said. “If you haven’t emerged by 11, though, I’m coming in to check on you.”

“Fair,” he agreed. “But I’ll be up by then, I imagine.”

“Good night, sweetie,” his mom gave him a hug.

“Night, Dad,” Percy called as he passed through the living room.

“Night, Perce,” Paul called back. 

Percy went into his room and shut his door. He climbed into his bed. From under his pillow he pulled out the t-shirt that Annabeth used when she stayed over. He inhaled a long breath of the lemon scent of her shampoo that lingered on the fabric and then tucked it back under. Annabeth would probably roll her eyes and call him Seaweed Brian if she knew about that, but he didn’t care. It helped calm him and get to sleep. He lay back on the pillows and stared at the ceiling. Only a few more days, and then he’d be a high school graduate. He could hardly believe it. And then it would be off to California for a week or so, then back for Camp for the rest of the summer. And training. Lots of training.

As his mind drifted, he found himself wondering what he could do if he won a medal. Or maybe more than one. He could sign an endorsement deal, maybe. That might solve their money problems. He chuckled. He always assumed that Annabeth would be the one to bring in the big money, but it wouldn’t be ironic that, at least starting out, he might bring in more. He had no illusions that it would last. Might make a boatload for a few years, but in the long run, Annabeth would end up bringing in more. Maybe if he got a good investment advisor, he could make it last longer. Hermes kids might be good at that, if he could actually trust them. Hazel’s dad was more focused on money and wealth than when he was in his Greek form...but Hazel had never seemed good at numbers and math, or at least never interested in them, from what Percy had seen. Granted, the subject had rarely come up, so Hazel might be a math whiz for all Percy knew. He had to know somebody. Or somebody who knew somebody….or...wait, maybe Rachel, or one of Annabeth’s friends?  _ Duh _ , Percy thought.  _ Annabeth knows all kinds of rich types from the Forester School. Kassandra would help, or know someone who would.  _

This thought reassured him, and he drifted off, with visions of a white farmhouse, with a blue door, tucked into the hills of Long Island.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Love it? Hate it? Email: TheAuthor@no2ticonderoga.com
> 
> Twitter: No_2Ticonderoga


	54. 54: Annabeth

Annabeth barely made it through graduation rehearsal. Since she was in the top 10, she had to sit in the front row of graduates, as they would bestow diplomas on the top 10 and the class officers first, before going alphabetically through the rest. Ava was only a few seats away, but might as well have been miles. What she really needed, was someone next to her, to elbow her before she nodded off.

There were lots of long, paper shuffling pauses in the action, while the organizers made triple sure they had everything organized, and Annabeth had a hard time keeping awake. It was during one of these pauses when she felt her phone vibrate.

Since pretty much everyone had their phone out at this point, Annabeth felt no guilt in pulling it out. It was Kirsten, who was several rows back.

When they’d both awoken to their alarms earlier this morning, Kirsten had sat up in bed, and stared at Annabeth for a long moment, before finally saying. “It wasn’t a dream, was it?”

“Which part?” Annabeth had asked.

“The part where you told me about the Greek gods, and all that stuff,” Kirsten had said. “I just can’t remember  _ why  _ you told me.”

Annabeth had been relieved. She honestly hadn’t been sure how much the Mist might try and take away from Kirsten. “You don’t remember the sea monster? On the cruise?”

Kirsten shook her head. “I remember that we ran aground on a sandbar,” she spoke, sounding unsure. “And then we came home, and you told me all this stuff, and I believed you. But I can’t remember how it came up. Or why I believed you.” Kirsten shook her head. “I had a good reason, though it all seems crazy now.”

Annabeth had assured her that it was true, and Kirsten had promised her that she didn’t doubt it. “It’s all too crazy to be anything but true. And it explains so much.”

They’d left it there, to get ready for rehearsal. 

_ Can you explain something to me?  _ Kirsten’s message read.

_ I can try.  _ She texted back.

_ If the Greek gods are real, how does that work with all the other religions? Like Christianity, and Islam, and all that? _

_ That’s...not a question I think I can answer via text message. _

_ Fair.  _

_ I can try later,  _ Annabeth promised. 

_ Okay. So, is it just the Greeks then? Are they the only gods? _

Annabeth hesitated.  _ Not exactly. _

_ OMG, really?  _

_ Can we talk about this later? I’m too tired to try and focus right now. _

_ Kk, sorry. I’m just...I have so many questions. _

_ I know,  _ Annabeth sent back.  _ And I’ll try and answer them. When I’m not half asleep. _

_ This is taking forever.  _ 🙄

_ No kidding.  _

The organizers called for attention again, and Annabeth tucked her phone away, and pretended to pay attention. Her phone continued to buzz in her pocket. She finally got her turn to walk across the stage, and get her instructions on how to shake hands with the Head, and accept her diploma at the same time. They handed her a folder with some of her school records (apparently this was the easiest way to distribute them to students who were on their way out), and then she went back to her seat. When she pulled out her phone, she discovered that it was not Kirsten who had been texting, but Percy.

_ Hey wise girl _

_ How it going _

_ O yeah, u got rehersl this am _

_ So your probs there _

_ Ignoring me _

😢

_ I slept until 1030  _ 😏  _ betcha u wish u were here _

_ Im sore all over i need a backrub _

_ You ok from last nite _

_ They didnt expel u did they _

_ I wish u were here  _ 😉  _ my  _ 🛌 _ feels empy w/o u _

_ My moms taking estelle for a walk im all alone here yknow  _ 😈

_ U r ok right _

_ Text me back soon _

Annabeth rolled her eyes at this barrage of text messages, that bounced from worried to salacious and back again.

_ I’m here, Seaweed Brain. I was busy at rehearsal. I’m fine, but tired. I didn’t get in trouble. I didn’t get expelled. And you are incorrigible, but cute.  _ 💗 __

###  _There u r_ 💗💗💗

_ I wish I were in your bed too. Except I’d like to be sleeping.  _

_ Awwww _

_ But you’re cute. _

😘 

_ So, I have something to tell you.  _

_?? wait gods your not pregnt r u _

_ PERCY! NO. _

_ Oh thank zeus _

_ No, I’m not. Gods, Percy, really? _

_ What u panicked me _

_ Now that THAT is out of the way. I wanted to tell you that Kirsten saw the monster last night, and the Mist couldn’t quite make her forget it. She had a lot of questions. _

_ Oh _

_ So I told her.  _

_ Told her what _

_ Everything. The whole story. Who I am. Who we are. _

_ Oh.  _ Then a moment later, another text.  _ Oh wow  _ and then:  _ How did she take it _

_ Pretty well, actually. She said it explained a lot about us. _

_ Thats good  _

_ Yeah. _

_ Its not like against the rules to tell ppl is it _

_ No. You and your mom told Paul, right? _

_ Well yeah but hes family  _

Annabeth shook her head. Of course Percy would think there was some kind of family exception. She texted back.  _ No, it’s just that we don’t tell people because they’ll think we’re nuts.  _

_ Oh  _ There was a pause and then  _ Were not? _

Annabeth bit her tongue just in time to keep from laughing out loud. 

She had to put her phone up, though, as there were a few last minute announcements and then, blessedly, they were released. 

The girls all met up in the lobby of the auditorium. Annabeth was grateful their graduation was going to be indoors, given the weather forecast. It was going to be hot the next few days. Percy’s graduation, which would be outside, at the Goode High football field. Annabeth wasn’t exactly looking forward to that, except to see Percy finally graduate. 

“So, we’re free till tomorrow, right? Till baccalaureate?” Kassandra asked.

The Forester School still paid a vague lip service to it’s Anglican founding by having a handful of quasi-religious ceremonies as part of the school year. Baccalaureate was one of them, held at the chapel on campus. 

“I’m skipping it,” Annabeth reminded them. “I have permission to attend Percy’s graduation.” 

“Right,” Ava remembered. “I wish I had a good excuse to get out of it,” she sighed.

“It won’t be that bad,” Kassandra said hopefully.

Kirsten snorted. “We’re still talking about Father Fred, right? The man could depress a hyena.” The school’s rector, a priest in his mid 60s, who thought he was hip and approachable by going by Father Fred instead of Father Howath, defeated the whole purpose of having a ‘cool’ name by having a reputation for depressing homilies. Annabeth had heard tell that he couldn’t give a sermon without talking about some kid who had died, or was dying of cancer, or some other horrific disease. Annabeth had only been to one or two of the ceremonies, for various reasons having missed most of them, but she could certainly see where the reputation had its origins.

“But yeah, we’re free till then.”

“My family is coming in tomorrow to help me pack,” Kassandra offered.

“Same,” Ava added.

“I’ll help,” Annabeth offered. “Almost all my stuff is already up at Percy’s place, I barely have anything to do.”

Which is how Annabeth found herself in Ava’s dorm room, helping to fold clothes from Ava’s closet into a suitcase. Kirsten had volunteered to go with Kassandra, since Kirsten also had little left in the dorm. 

“Where’s your roommate?” Annabeth asked.

Ava roomed with Lauren, one of the girls from Libby’s clique, and while the two managed to cohabitate, they didn’t interact much socially, and tended to stay out of each other’s way as best they could. 

“Out for the day. The whole crowd, I think. Gone down to the Jersey Shore for an overnight, I think. They’ll drag back tomorrow sometime with their dark sunglasses and their Pedialyte.” Ava snorted. 

“Whatever,” Annabeth shook her head. “Hopefully none of them turn up dead from alcohol poisoning.”

“That would put a damper on the graduation festivities, yes,” Ava agreed.

“Why the Jersey Shore, though?” Annabeth asked. “I would have thought the Hamptons were more their speed.”

“Boys,” Ava explained. “There are no nightclubs in the Hamptons, no place to troll for cute boys.”

“Ahh,” Annabeth said, enlightened. “That makes more sense. I would have thought the Jersey Shore was beneath them.”

“It is, mostly,” Ava allowed. “But they’ll slum it in the hopes of a hookup. Just hope none of them get slipped a roofie instead.”

“Mmm,” Annabeth agreed darkly.

“Hand me that box from the bed?” Ava asked.

Annabeth put down the dress she was trying to fold and tossed her the box in question. “You realize Yale could be just as bad as here, as far as the social life goes,” Annabeth pointed out.

Ava sighed. “I know. I could get stuck with the same dumbass rich kids. But there’s going to be more people in general. Like, nine times more. You realize that the incoming freshman class next fall is larger than the  _ entire  _ Forester School? I have to believe that they won’t  _ all _ be boozed up bimbos like Lauren, and Libby and Brigette and the others.”

“That’s probably true,” Annabeth agreed.

“I just hope I find a couple of friends like you, and Kassandra and Kirsten. And it would be nice to meet a boy, or two,” she added.

Annabeth quirked an eyebrow. “Not at the same time, surely.”

Ava laughed. “No, not at the same time, of course. But the law of averages says that most of us don’t meet one boy and decide they’re the one for always and all time and get engaged before finishing high school.” She looked at Annabeth pointedly. “We’re not all that lucky. Or crazy. I still haven’t figured out which.”

Annabeth laughed. “I suppose that’s true,” she allowed.

Ava sighed. “ _ Meet someone who’ll look at you the way Percy Jackson looks at Annabeth Chase. _ That’s going to be my dating motto from now on.” 

Annabeth laughed even harder.

By early afternoon, though, she was seriously dragging. She had sat down on Ava’s bed to wrap some of her friend’s knickknacks in newspaper and bubble wrap to protect them while they were in storage. She wouldn’t unpack this box until she moved into her dorm at Yale. She yawned several times and found herself zoning out.

“What’s up with you?” Ava asked. “You look exhausted.”

“Kirsten and I stayed up way to late last night talking after we got back from the cruise,” Annabeth admitted. “Hard to believe we’re only together like, two more nights.”

“It’s crazy,” Ava agreed. 

Annabeth yawned again. 

“Go take a nap,” Ava ordered her. “You’re making me tired just looking at you.”

“You’re sure?” Annabeth asked.

“I’m sure. I’ll get more done without you falling asleep on my bed.”

And so, Annabeth went back to her room and laid down on the bed. The sleep took her almost immediately, but not before she texted Percy.

_ I’m taking a nap. Don’t panic if I don’t respond when you get out of rehearsal. Love you. _

She woke up two hours later to her phone ringing. Kirsten was passed out in her own bed and didn’t appear to notice Annabeth’s phone at all. 

“‘Lo?” Annabeth muttered.

“Girl, where are you? I’ve been texting you for like, two hours.” 

Annabeth blinked. “Rachel?” 

“Yes, it’s me. Were you asleep?”

“Yeah,” Annabeth groaned. 

“It’s like, 2:30 in the afternoon. What are you doing asleep?”

“I had a rough night last night,” Annabeth said, sitting up. “I had to help kill a sea monster.”

“That sucks,” Rachel rolled on. “What are you and Percy doing this afternoon?” 

“I dunno,” Annabeth said. “I haven’t checked in with him. He had graduation rehearsal at one, and I texted him not to panic if I didn’t respond because I was taking a nap.”

“Ah. Well, I want you guys to come over this afternoon. I have something for you.” Annabeth could hear a bouncing kind of excitement in her voice. 

“Okay,” Annabeth rubbed her eyes with her free hand. “How about I check with Percy and get back to you. I’ll text.”

“Okay! See you soon!” And she hung up.

Annabeth groaned and laid back down. She opened her messages. She had 27 unread messages. Two were from Percy from when he got out of graduation rehearsal.

_ K sounds good txt when u r up _

_ 💗 u _

The rest were from Rachel.

**_Hey! -_ ** **12:17PM**

**_You there?_ ** **-12:18PM**

**_C’mon girl, I need to talk with you._ ** **-12:20PM**

**_What are you doing?_ ** **-12:21PM**

**_You’re having sex with Percy aren’t you?_** **😝** **-12:21PM**

**_You’re totally having sex_ ** **.😏** **_-_ ** **12:26PM**

**_Doing the nasty._ ** **😈** **_-_ ** **12:26PM**

**_Gods, are you guys still having sex?_ ** **🙄-12:35PM**

**_Seriously, where are you guys? Percy isn’t responding either. -_ ** **12:42PM**

**_I”M BORED. ENTERTAIN ME._ ** **\- 12:52PM**

**_Hang on, I’m having a prophecy. Better come quick and get your quest._ ** **\- 12:55PM**

**_Ooops. Too late. You missed it. Now you’re going to die a horrible death._ ** **🤷-12:57PM**

**_C’mon! I really want to talk to you guys. -_ ** **1:01PM**

**_If you guys are really ignoring me to have sex Ima be pissed._ ** **😡 -1:05PM**

**_I’m going to go watch tv._ ** **-1:10PM**

**_THERE IS NOTHING ON!_ ** **🤬 - 1:25PM**

**_Seriously, like, daytime TV sucks. -_ ** **1:26PM**

**_WTF, where are you people?_ ** **\- 1:31PM**

**_You’re okay, right? You’re not fighting monsters or some shit are you?_ ** **-1:39PM**

**_Okay, you guys are really starting to freak me out._ ** **-1:44PM**

**_Answer your damn text messages._ ** **-1:53PM**

**_You’re going to make me call you, aren’t you?_ ** **-1:57PM**

**_Ugg. You people -_ ** **2:03PM**

**_Percy texted me back! Where are you? -2:07PM_ **

**_You have like 10 minutes or I’m calling you._ ** **-2:12PM**

Annabeth chuckled reading through Rachel’s messages. She sighed and texted Percy.

_ Did you talk to Rachel? _

_ Yah she wants to _ 👀  _ us  _

_ When do you want to go over? _

_ Im free anytime im @home we can meet here _

_ I’ll head up now. I’ll tell Rachel I’m on my way to you, and we’ll come straight over. _

_ Kk. _

Annabeth texted Rachel:  _ I’m on my way to meet Percy at his place, and then we’ll come over.  _

**_Awesome!!!!_ ** And then:  **_No stopping for the sexy-sex._ **

_ I’m not going to dignify that with a response. _

**_I feel like you just did._ **

_ Shut up, Dare. _

**_Make me, Chase._ ** **😝**

Annabeth laughed.

She left a note for Kirsten, and texted Ava and Kassandra to tell them she was going to see Percy, and headed up town. It was hot, disgusting hot in New York. Annabeth did not care for humidity in the least. It was relief, of sorts, to get off the street and down into the subway for at least a little while. This was one things that Annabeth was looking forward to going to California for. It was warm, yes, but it was never this humid. And the Berkley hills were fairly mild overall. Though wildfires in the summer and fall were a real threat sometimes. Though, they would be back out here for summers, presumably. Unless they were travelling. Percy would have swim competitions like US nationals, maybe as soon as next summer. That would be exciting.

It was also vaguely intimidating. The idea of being in the spotlight, if only on the fringes of Percy’s spotlight, was a bit terrifying. Percy had told her about the jokes his friend Josh had made about ESPN doing features on him. The prospect was eye opening and a bit horrifying. Annabeth considered herself a fairly private person, for obvious reasons. And the idea that their story, or at least parts of it, could become must-see-TV for millions of Americans was a bit disorienting. But it was likely to be a reality. Percy could “pretty good” and “we’ll see” and otherwise prevaricate all he wanted, but if he really put his mind to it, she had no doubt that he’d make the team. And probably win some medals. Which was crazy if she thought about it too hard. 

Percy could, in fact, make a decent living swimming, at least for a while, and probably longer than most, under the circumstances. Percy was always concerned about money, which was understandable, given his early life, but Annabeth wondered if he’d actually really thought through how much money he might make, especially if he came home from the next Olympics with a pile of hardware. 

That house on Long Island became something a little less than a pipe dream, in that scenario. 

Percy was laying across the couch with Estelle on his lap when Annabeth arrived. “Oh, hi sweetie!” Annabeth exclaimed, scooping up Estelle, who giggled happily in recognition.

“Hello to you, too,” Percy grumbled, though he was smiling, which spoiled his effort at being offended for being ignored. 

“How’s my big girl?” Annabeth asked. “Getting big, aren’t we?” Estelle blurbled a raspberry at her. Annabeth laughed. She sat down on Percy’s chest.

“Oaf. Hey!” He protested. She leaned down and kissed him on the cheek.

“Where’s your mom?” she asked.

“I’m right here, dear,” Sally said, emerging from the hallway. “I was just flipping a load of laundry. How are you today?”

“I’m good, thanks,” Annabeth smiled. “I’m ready to get graduation over with.”

“I’m sure,” Sally nodded. “Here, I’ll take her, and you two can run along and go see Rachel. Percy says she sounds impatient.”

“Just a little,” Annabeth laughed, handing Estelle to Sally. “You be a good girl now,” Annabeth told her. 

Estelle babbled. 

“She’ll be talking before we know it at this rate,” Sally commented.

“Maybe her first word will be Percy, or brother,” her fiancé said hopefully.

“No, Annabeth,” she replied, punching him playfully in the arm. She may have used more force than she intended. 

“Ow!” He cursed in Greek.

“As long as it’s not that,” Sally scolded primly. “I’ll be happy.”

“Sorry, mom,” he said sheepishly. He glared at Annabeth. “Your fault.” 

She shrugged cheerfully, and he laughed. “You’re in a mood.”

“The nap felt good,” she admitted. “I feel energized.”

“Well, come on, let’s go see what Rachel is so hot to trot about.” He kissed his mom and Estelle. “We’ll be back later.”

“That’s fine, dear,” she said. “Have fun!”

It was a short walk to Rachel’s apartment. 

“So how is Kirsten doing?” Percy asked. “She okay after last night?”

Annabeth nodded. “She’s holding together. She still believes me, though she’s no longer sure she actually saw the sea monster last night, the Mist keeps trying to take that part away.” She explained. 

“But she remembers everything you told her?” Percy asked.

“Yeah.”

There was a lull in their conversation as they waited for the stoplight to flip. “Is she going to tell anyone else?” he asked as they started across the street.

“I don’t think so,” Annabeth said, feeling confident about her answer for reasons she couldn’t explain. “For one thing, no one else has a reason to believe it. For another, well, we’re both pretty private people, and I think she respects that.”

Percy nodded. He was silent for another moment. 

“Whatcha thinking?” she prompted gently.

“I dunno,” he sighed. “Sometimes I wish I could tell people. It’s hard to keep the stories straight sometimes. It’s so much work.” He shook his head.

Annabeth laughed and squeezed his arm. “Well that’s true.” Then she turned serious. “Do you want to tell some one?”

Percy considered that. “I don’t know,” he admitted. “I mean, it would be nice. But it would be super complicated to explain. I just don’t know how I would do it. You had the opportunity because of the sea monster. How would I just come out and be, hey, guess what, my dad’s Poseidon?” he shook his head. “I don’t think that would work.” 

Annabeth nodded. “Yeah, you have to have the right circumstance, to make it believable. Like when Mrs. O’Leary showed up at your apartment.”

Percy snorted. “Yeah, that was a thing. Despite the fact that we’d already told him, I don’t think he really believed us until that very moment. I feel like it takes something like that to convince people it’s all real.”

Annabeth squeezed his hand. “I agree.” 

They walked on for another moment. “Maybe someday,” Percy said finally. “Though hopefully not because we’ve had some kind of life threatening experience. I would  _ really _ like those to go away.”

Annabeth laughed. “No arguments here.” They turned up the block, and soon they were out of the heat and gliding up toward the top floor in the elevator. Rachel, warned by the doorman that they were on their way up, was waiting for them.

“Finally!” she exclaimed, throwing her arms around both of them. "C’mon, this way.”

She tugged them down the hall, toward the room she used as an art studio. “What’s the hurry?” Annabeth asked.

“I finished your graduation present,” Rachel declared. She pulled them through the doorway and brought them up short in front of a canvas on an easel, which had a drop cloth draped over it. 

“Graduation present?” Percy asked.

“It’s sort of a combination graduation present, and engagement present,” she explained. She grabbed the edge of the drop cloth and flung it off the canvas with a flourish. “Ta da!”

It was the painting she had started at the beach, the one of the sunset. It was finished now, but in the foreground of the painting, silhouetted by the setting sun were two figures, holding each other closely. Annabeth realized it was herself and Percy. She gasped. “Rachel, it’s beautiful!” she breathed.

Percy looked a bit stunned, like he didn’t know what to say. The paint was gorgeous. Annabeth didn’t know how artists like Rachel could capture scenes that way. The sunset looked so real, she felt like that she could just step into the painting and be there on the beach. The colors of the sunset she had captured were so real, it looked almost alive.

“I’m going to have it framed,” Rachel told them. “Something simple, I think, nothing fancy,” she mused, examining the picture. “Anything too gaudy would take away from it I think. But I couldn’t wait to show you till after it was framed. I was too excited.” She looked at Annabeth, almost shyly now. “You like it?”

Annabeth didn’t answer right away, instead she caught her up in a tight hug. “It’s amazing. Thank you.” Rachel hugged her back warmly. 

“I’m glad you like it,” the oracle said.

Annabeth found it hard to believe there was a time that she didn’t like this woman, but then, 14 going on 15 was a strange time in her life. 

“It’s crazy good,” Percy finally said. “I can’t get over how talented you are,” he said.

Annabeth laughed, thinking of how much that comment might have hurt her three or four years ago, but now it just filled her with pleasure. 

“Thanks,” Rachel replied, and Annabeth was amused to see the red-head blushing a little. “I thought you and Annabeth would like to have it for your apartment when you move out west.”

“It’s perfect,” Annabeth declared. “It’ll have a place of honor, even if I have to redesign the whole place around it.”

Rachel laughed. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Can you believe that the graduations start with the next chapter? I can't. 
> 
> Love it? Hate it? Email: TheAuthor@no2ticonderoga.com
> 
> Find me on Twitter @no_2ticonderoga


	55. 55: Percy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was almost ready, when Rachel decided she needed to come to graduation too, and I had to rewrite! She's not big in this chapter, but much larger in the next one, in Annabeth's POV.
> 
> Anyway, this is the last chapter before the Christmas holiday (talk about cognitive dissonance writing June graduation when I'm getting a foot of snow outside...)(Though it's making me want to write holiday set fic, so...we'll see).
> 
> Anyway! I want to wish you all a Merry Christmas! Please have a safe and blessed holiday if you are celebrating! If not, well, enjoy yourself anyway! Much thanks for all your support!

Percy stood in the bathroom of his parent’s apartment and stared at his reflection in disbelief. Whoever had designed graduation robes had to have been a total dweeb, because Percy certainly felt like one, but on the other hand…

_ Gods, I’m about to graduate high school. _

In, like, 10 minutes, he would be leaving, with Paul, to head to school one last time, for graduation. He would wait an interminable length of time, in seriously uncomfortable heat and humidity, and then walk across the stage, and he would be a graduate. Four years, at the same school. 

_ Holy Poseidon. _

Even with losing a whole semester, he’d managed to do it. He knew he couldn’t have done it without Annabeth’s support, and Mom’s, and Paul’s. But he was on his way to the next phase of his life. And that was fucking scary. College, and maybe a swimming career. A wedding within the next twelve months, probably. 

This was nuts. Demigods weren’t supposed to have  _ futures. _

“Hey, Percy, you ready?” Paul’s voice called from the hallway. Friday had been the last day of class for underclassmen, a half day for finals, so he’d been home around two o’clock to get a late lunch and get ready for graduation. It was just about quarter of five now, and Percy had to be at the school by 5:30 for lineup. 

“Yeah, I’ll be right there.” He took off his purple graduation cap. He hated the school colors, honestly, though he had less hate for purple now that he’d been in the Legion. But the shade was somehow different from the Legion shirts, and the shiny material of the robe made him feel like he’d escaped from the chorus line of a Broadway show. It was not flattering. The boys somehow got stuck wearing the purple, and the girls white -well, silver, but it looked pretty white to Percy. He wished it was the other way around. 

He unzipped his robe and put it back on it’s hanger. He’d wanted to wear shorts and a t-shirt, but his mom had insisted on slacks and a nice shirt. Percy had successfully warded off the tie, given the heat and humidity. His mother, however, was a shrewd negotiator, and said that he had to wear one tomorrow, to Annabeth’s graduation instead, since it would be indoors, in the air conditioning.  _ “I’m going to get one set of nice pictures with the two of you dressed nicely if it kills me,”  _ she’d said. She’d planned to make them both put their robes on again tomorrow as well, to get a picture of both of them in their robes.

“Ready to go?” Paul asked when he emerged. Paul, who would probably be the most uncomfortable of all of them in his suit and tie, was taking the weather stoically, but then, he was used to this routine. 

“I guess so,” Percy said. 

Annabeth was sitting at the kitchen table holding Estelle, and his mom was rubbing sunscreen into her bare shoulders, exposed by the lightweight sundress she was wearing. His mother had taken one look at her when she’d walked in and informed her that she would absolutely barbeque unless she put on some sunscreen, and had promptly taken charge. Percy loved the dress. It was a pale blue with little while and yellow daisies on it, and it hung around his fiancee’s knees and swished when she walked. Percy thought she was the most beautiful creature between here and Olympus. She rose from her coating when Percy came into the kitchen, handing Estelle to Paul and hugged Percy tightly. “You’ll be fine. I’m so proud of you,” she whispered in his ear. 

“Thanks,” he said. “Wouldn’t be here without you.”

“Neither would I,” she replied. She kissed him and then stepped back. “All set?”

“Let’s get this done,” he announced. 

Paul and his mom laughed. “We’ll see you after the ceremony’s over,” his mom assured him. She hugged him as well. “So proud of you.” She took Estelle from Paul. Her infant carrier had been outfitted with a sunshade to keep the sun off, and Annabeth had rigged a little battery powered fan to the handle to keep her cool. Percy kinda wished Leo was around. He probably could have built her a fully contained air conditioned pod, or something. Rachel was picking them up just a few minutes. She’d informed them in no uncertain terms that she was coming to their graduations. “After all, I have fuck all to do anyway, and why wouldn’t I want to come to my best friends’ graduations?” She’d told them she was going to have one of her dad’s drivers pick them up and drop them off. 

“Thanks, mom.” He turned to Paul. “Ready?”

“Yep. Let’s go.” Paul grabbed his jacket off the back of the chair, and the two of them made their way down to the street. Paul’s Prius was parked about a half block away. There was a faculty parking lot at school, though Paul didn’t drive most days. Paul tossed Percy the keys as they walked down the street. “You drive,” he said.

“Okay,” Percy replied, surprised. 

Percy hung his robe up on the hook in the backseat and Paul tossed his jacket across it, and they climbed in.

“You ready?” Paul asked, as they climbed in and belted up.

Percy blew out a breath. “Yeah, I’m ready. I mean, I’m not anxious to hang around high school. No offence.”

Paul laughed. “None taken.” He nodded in approval as Percy checked all his mirrors before pulling out of the parallel spot. “But it’s still a big step. And I know it can feel a little overwhelming.”

“A little?” Percy snorted. 

Paul nodded. “I’ve been at this game long enough to know a little of what you’re feeling, even laying aside the fact that I was there once myself.” Percy was focused on the traffic, but he could hear the smile in Paul’s voice. “I may not be a demigod, but I know what it’s like to be on the edge of the unknown and be nervous about it.”

“Yeah,” Percy admitted. “There’s a lot of unknowns right now. I mean, I’m not a planner like Annabeth, but it’s still a little scary.”

“Do you have any plans for after college?” Paul asked. “Seriously, I mean. What do you really want to do when you get out?”

There was a long pause as Percy made his way toward 59th Street. “Honestly, Dad, I have no fucking clue.” 

“What about your swimming?” Paul asked.

“Well, yeah, but that’s not a career,” Percy protested.

“It could be,” Paul pointed out. “You keep in training, you could swim competitively for the next 10 years, or more, depending.”

That was longer than Percy had considered, and it was an arresting thought. “I...I guess I hadn’t thought about it that way,” he admitted. “I figured, like, one Olympics, and then…” he shrugged.

Paul shook his head. “Swimmers, if they keep in training, can be competitive for several cycles. I looked it up. Did you know there are a bunch of people who managed to swim competitively in five separate Olympics?”

Percy  _ did not _ know that, which surprised him, because it was the kind of thing Annabeth would usually have told him. “That’s twenty years,” he said. “More probably, because you’d have to be swimming competitively before the first one.”

Paul nodded. “That’s a pretty good career.” 

“Yeah, I guess so,” he allowed. 

There was a lull and then Paul said. “And what would you do instead?”

Percy shook his head. “That’s where I have no idea…” he trailed off.

“What?” Paul asked, sensing missing words.

“Well, Annabeth said something the other day. She...she thinks I would be good at working at camp, full time,” he admitted.

“Training younger demigods?” Paul asked.

“Yeah. She says she thinks I’m a good teacher, and I set a good example...most of the time,” he allowed. He wasn’t sure he quite believed her, but this idea of hers had been working its way into his brain for the last couple of weeks, and sometimes, in day-dreamy moments, he could picture himself, sitting on the big porch at Camp, with Chiron and Mr. D, watching the new campers being brought in, or getting ready to teach sword fighting and hand to hand combat lessons. It was a beguiling thought. 

“Well, I believe that to be true,” Paul affirmed. 

“I mean, not a real teacher, like you, with books and stuff,” Percy clarified.

Paul gave a soft snort. “Percy, just because you don’t teach with books and stuff, doesn’t mean you’re not a teacher. I couldn’t teach you swordsmanship, my college fencing career notwithstanding. I couldn’t teach you survival skills. There are so many things that I could never teach. But you could,” Paul pointed out. “And you’d probably be good at it.”

Percy took a deep breath and squeezed the steering wheel. Damnit, what was it with all this emotion this last week or two. He blew out a breath. “Well, I appreciate the vote of confidence,” he said finally, turning the car uptown. “But I don’t know that there’s a lot of money in demigod training.”

“Fair, but there’s more to life than money,” Paul pointed out. “After all, my parents wanted me to be a lawyer, not an English teacher.”

Percy nodded. “Yeah, but there’s the issue of the fact that Camp is way the heck out at the end of Long Island. Kinda a rough commute for Annabeth.”

“That’s true,” Paul allowed. “Though I’m sure you could figure something out. Annabeth’s a pretty smart girl. And besides,” he said. “If you do the swimming thing, you’ll be travelling a lot for a while anyway.” 

“Yeah,” Percy shuddered. “I’m going to have to talk to Dad. I need to figure out if Zeus is still going to zap me if I try and fly. It could get tedious having to take a boat to the Olympics.”

“And it would be nice if you could fly back to New York for holidays,” Paul agreed. “But seriously, Percy,” Paul continued. “I agree with Annabeth on this one. I think it’s something you could consider, seriously. Talk to Chiron this summer anyway, see what he says about it.”

“We have a lot to talk to Chiron about,” Percy mused. “Annabeth thinks that we could build a New Athens out there, in the hills near camp. A place of our own, like New Rome.”

“That sounds incredible,” Paul agreed.

They pulled into the gated faculty lot near the school. Percy pulled up into Paul’s designated spot, number 37. Percy always found this part a bit annoying. The staff had designated parking places, and they couldn’t take each other’s, even though almost half the staff walked or took public transit. So Paul could never park any closer to the building. In the few times Percy had driven with Paul, the lot had never been more than half full. There’d never been a car next to Paul’s for as long as he could remember. 

They got out, and Percy tossed Paul the keys back. “I’ll see you on the other side,” he said, taking his robe out of the backseat and slipping it on.

“Proud of you, Percy,” Paul told him, gathering up his jacket.

“Stop it,” Percy complained. “Everyone is getting, like...sloppy sentimental.”

Paul laughed. ‘Go. You don’t want to be late for roll call.”

Percy made his way inside to the gym, which was at least air conditioned, where he found his classmates milling around, hugging, laughing and some already crying. 

“Hey, man,” Josh said, pulling Percy into a hug. “This is it, we made it.” 

“Yeah, we did,” Percy agreed. “You seen the others?”

“Yeah, they’re over there. I was just on my way to the men’s room, figured I’d go before they make us line up.” 

“Not a bad call,” Percy agreed, “I’ll go too.” He followed Josh through the empty halls to the nearest restroom.

“What are you doing tomorrow night?” Josh asked. “Darah’s mom has said we can have a party at her place. There’ll be some of her family in town, but Darah’s got the upstairs pretty much all to herself, and there’ll be a shit ton of food.”

Percy shook his head. “Sorry man, I can’t, I have…”

“Oh, right, Annabeth’s graduating tomorrow night. Well, hey we’ll still be rolling after it’s over. If you two get a chance you could stop by anyway.”

“We’ll see,” Percy said. “Depends on what’s going on with family. Annabeth’s dad is coming in tomorrow morning for graduation, and I imagine we’ll have things to do with him. And we still have to pack.”

“You guys are leaving, what, Monday?”

“Yeah, we leave Penn Station at, like 8:00 in the morning.” 

“Why are you guys taking the train? Why not fly out to California? Isn’t that how Annabeth’s dad is getting back?” Josh asked.

“I’m...not big on flying. But we’ve got a sleeping birth, so it’s not so bad.” 

“Those ain’t cheap,” Josh observed. 

“Annabeth’s dad is paying the bill. We’re going to spend more time with him while we’re out there, he actually doesn't live far from where we’re going to school,” Percy replied while he washed his hands. 

“Nervous?” Josh asked. 

“About seeing her dad, nah,” Percy waved this off. “Her dad’s cool. I mean, yeah, it’ll be a little awkward, but it’ll be okay. He and Annabeth are still kinda feeling their way around each other, trying to figure out what their relationship should be. So it won’t be full on family time. Though I guess her brothers are kinda cool. It’ll be nice to get to know them a little better.”

“How old are they?” Josh asked.

“Like,10? 11? Somewhere in that area,” Percy shrugged. “I’m not sure exactly.”

“Young enough to still think you’re cool, and old enough to not be super annoying, hopefully,” Josh said as they returned to the gym.

“Something like that, yeah,” Percy replied.

“Yo!” Kamal said, giving Percy a high five as he and Josh rejoined the group. “You ready for this?”

“Hades, yes,” Percy agreed. “Let’s get this fucking show on the road.” He grinned.

“Amen, brother,” Emma agreed. 

“I wanna get this over with so I can get out of this robe,” Yose said. “I’m afraid I’m going to roast in this thing.”

“At least you’re wearing white,” San pointed out. “Instead of this ugly ass purple.”

“Hey, I think we make it look good,” Kamal said, and struck a pose. Josh shoved him, and they all laughed.

Teachers and administrators started calling for order and lineup. Percy and his friends looked at each other for a long minute, as many small knots were doing. Their names were variously scattered through the alphabet, and they would be sitting far apart from each other. “Well,” Josh said. “See you on the other side guys. Mazel tov.”

“Okay, fuck off, guys,” Emma declared. “You guys are not going to make my fucking mascara run before the ceremony starts.”

They all laughed, and the tension broke, and they hugged and went to go line up. 

Percy knew vaguely the two people he was sitting near, and the greetings they shared were friendly enough. Percy fidgeted absently with his robe while he waited in line. That was another reason he hated this outfit. It made it difficult to access his pockets and would impact his ability to reach Riptide in an emergency. Hopefully, it wouldn’t be an issue. That would kinda be the icing on the cake, though. Blow up the band room at freshman orientation, set fire to graduation, or something.  _ At least they can’t expel me anymore.  _

They finally started moving, which Percy thought was a relief. That was, until they got outside. It was typical New York late June day. It was probably about 400% humid, and the air temperature was a balmy 87 degrees, even at quarter of 6 in the evening. Percy knew for a fact that it was, indeed, hotter than Hades. He’d been there. Sweat was beading up on Percy’s forehead before he’d even gotten to the stadium, and he wanted nothing more than to rip his stupid looking hat off his head. But mom had warned him that she  _ would  _ kill him if he so much as thought of not playing by the rules. 

_ She’s earned this almost more than I have _ , he reflected, and he was loath to disappoint her in any way.

There was another brief wait at the entrance to the stadium, and Percy could hear the milling crowd just on the other side of the gate. There was the sound of a trumpet fanfare, and the graduation music started. 

Annabeth had told him it was called “Pomp and Circumstance”, but he didn’t much like it. It didn’t really have a rhythm he could walk to. He understood why Annabeth had told him it was called a “hesitation march”. All Percy could manage was a kind of shuffle along with the crowd. 

He tried to scan the crowd for Annabeth and mom, but he didn’t see them right away. He figured he would have plenty of time to look during the speeches, though. He did see Paul, standing in the front row of the faculty section, smiling and clapping. 

The plastic rental chair that he finally arrived at, complete with a copy of the graduation program already on his seat, was hot enough that he could feel it through his pants. Percy noted more than one of his classmates shifting uncomfortably as they sat down- guys who were wearing shorts under their robes, and girls with short skirts or dresses. They had time to get adjusted though, as there was a lot of up and down, in the first few minutes, with up for the National Anthem, and then down, and then up again so the class president could lead them in the Pledge of Allegiance one last time, after having done it all year on morning announcements. Then they got to sit down and settle in for the welcome speech by the principal.

That was when Percy began scanning the crowd in earnest. He finally found Annabeth, about six rows up the bleachers. She was not looking in his direction when he spied her, instead she was holding Estelle and looking at her program, and saying something to Mom, next to her. Rachel was on the other side, pulling faces at Estelle. Annabeth’s blonde hair was shining in the early evening sunshine, and Percy couldn’t help but feel his heart fill, thinking how beautiful she was and that she was going to be his wife. He still sometimes didn’t quite believe it. 

Percy’s eyes roved restlessly around, though always coming back to Annabeth. He finally caught her looking in his direction, and she noticed. She was too far away to really see, but he knew she was smiling at him, and she gave a little wave. Percy waved back, as discreetly as he could.

“Is that your fiancée?” the girl sitting next to him asked in an undervoice. She must have noticed the wave he’d given and followed his gaze. 

“Yeah, Annabeth,” he whispered back. 

“Pretty name,” she replied.

The principal finally finished up, and gave way for the salutatorian. And then the class president again, and then the valedictorian. Percy squirmed uncomfortably, and kept wiping sweat from his brow.

Finally, the class president returned to present the graduating class to the principal, and then the conferral of diplomas could begin. It was an agonizingly slow process. They started with the class officers, and the valedictorian and the other academic honorees, including San, who was in the top 10. And then they began going through the alphabetical list of the remaining graduates. 

Percy fell towards the middle of the pack, given his last name of Jackson. Kamal was first up, with his last name Abubakar, and then Darah Evans, and then Josh Horowitz. Percy would fall next, and Gianna would be behind him with Lovell, with Yose Rivera and Emma Scott rounding out their group.

The usher people stood at the end of Percy’s row and he finally got to stand up and stretch his legs. He felt stiff and uncomfortable and hot, and it was a relief to be moving. He stood in his place, inching ever closer to the stage. 

Finally, he heard “Perseus Jackson!” announced across the loudspeakers. He cringed a little at the use of his full legal name, but that couldn’t be helped. He was vaguely aware of a cheer that came from the direction of his mom and Annabeth in the stands. He walked across the stage. The principal handed him his diploma to his left hand, and shook hands with his right, smiling and saying congratulations, and then it was over, and he was walking across the rest of the stage and down the ramp. And just like that, he’d graduated. He got back to his seat and sat, and flipped open the little leather bound folder, with Goode High School embossed in gold on the front. 

It was done up in a fancy script that played havoc with this dyslexia, but he could make out his own name, and the date, and the printed signatures of the Board of Governors that ran the school. Names continued to boom out over the loudspeaker. He heard a familiar name.

“Gage? How is he here?” he muttered. “After what happened at prom?”

“I heard his dad threatened to sue the school,” the girl next to him whispered. 

“Yeah,” the guy on his other side answered. “I heard that too.”

“Asshole.” Percy muttered.

“No kidding,” the girl agreed.

Percy clapped and cheered when his friend’s names were called, and then, finally, blessedly, it was over. The class president was back, leading them all in moving their tassels to the other side of their hats, for some reason that was apparently important, and then there was cheering and the band started up, and they began to march back out, though only to the edge of the track, as the crowd came down out of the stands and began to mill about, looking for their graduates and the graduates themselves began to clump up in small groups of friends. Cigars appeared, in defiance of the strict no-smoking rules on campus. 

Josh found Percy first, and they hugged, and laughed, and Mrs. Horowitz took their picture, laughing. And then, praise be to Olympus, Annabeth was there, throwing herself at him and kissing him like there was no tomorrow. This was the cause of a cheer from Percy’s friends and several wolf whistles, and Emma starting up a brief chant, joined by Rachel, of “Get a room!”

“Hey, Wise Girl” he said when they came up for air.

"I’m so proud of you,” she breathed. 

And then Rachel shoved her playfully out of the way, and hugged him. “Congratulations, you big lug,” she said. 

And then she made way for his mother, who, if it was possible, hugged him even tighter than Annabeth. She was crying, which made it hard for Percy not to cry, but he did his best. “I’m so, so, happy for you,” she whispered in his ear.

“Couldn’t have done it without you, mom,” he managed.

“Pictures!” she announced abruptly. “I want evidence!”

Everyone laughed, and Percy posed for pictures with his friends, and with Annabeth, and with Rachel and Annabeth, and with his mom, and his mom and Paul, holding Estelle, and then Rachel took the camera to take one of Percy, Annabeth, Estelle, his mom and Paul all together.

Once the pictures were done, Percy finally got to ditch the stupid hat and unzip his robe. He saw Emma’s parents again, and Emma’s mother greeted Sally warmly, having met at swim meets. Rachel went to greet some other Goode kids she’d known freshman year. Darah tried to look inconspicuous and avoided meeting eyes with Josh’s mom, though she didn’t look nearly as disapproving as Darah made it seem, as near as Percy could tell. San made his way over, trailing relatives who seemed jealous of his attention. But he made time for his friends. Kamal gave hugs all around, though he was pulled away early by his parents and a dinner reservation. Gianna’s father and step mother were there, though her mother hadn’t bothered to come out from Chicago for the event. She didn’t seem upset about it though, so that was fine. Yose’s grandmother seemed nice, but there was an awkward tension around that group, with Yose and Gianna at an awkward and uncomfortable distance from each other. The pained look Yose shared with Gianna as her family towed her away as they were leaving spoke volumes. Emma and Darah came up on either side of Giana to give her a supportive hug. It was really the only sour note of the evening. 

Eventually they all began to drift away, finished their goodbyes, and their promises to stay in touch. Percy and Annabeth promised to try and come by Darah’s for the party after Annabeth’s graduation and meant it, and then they all were headed for the parking lot and Paul’s Prius, and the sanctuary of air conditioning. Percy somehow ended up carrying Estelle’s carrier.  _ Gods, she’s getting heavy,  _ he thought.

“Are you coming to dinner with us?” Sally asked Rachel, who was walking beside her. 

“I…” she began.

“What am I saying, of course you are,” his mom cut her off before she could object.

“Thank you,” Rachel replied with a smile. His mom squeezed her arm. 

“Are we all going to fit in the car?” Annabeth asked.

“What do we want to eat?” Paul asked, ignoring the question. 

“It’s too hot to eat real food,” Percy declared hopefully. “Why don’t we just go find ice cream instead?”

His mother and Rachel laughed, and Annabeth sighed and hip checked him. “We’re supposed to be working on your diet,” she grumbled.

Percy laughed, and then his face grew confused as he looked in the parking lot. “Wait, that wasn’t there before.”

Parked next to Paul’s old Prius was a new one, one of those new extended models with the extra trunk space, the Prius Z. It was also blue. It hadn’t been there when they’d pulled in, and the parking lot was nearly empty otherwise. Most of the other faculty, not having step children who were graduating, had taken off a long time ago. Percy looked around in confusion. Rachel and Annabeth looked just as confused as he did, but his mom had a small smile on her face. 

Paul grinned and pulled a key fob out of his pocket. The lights on the new car blinked as it unlocked. He pulled another fob from his pocket and tossed it at Percy. “Congratulations. Happy Graduation, and Happy Birthday.” 

Percy caught the key, the one he recognized, and stood there a moment, dumbfounded. His brain began to register what had just happened. “What... _ no way! No f…” _ he caught himself just in time at the sharp look from his mom, “ _...friggin way!”  _ He looked around. His mother’s glare had been replaced by a wide grin, and Annabeth looked just as shocked and confused as he did.

“The Prius? You’re giving me the Prius?” he asked incredulously.

“We got a new one. With a little bit more trunk space for baby carriages and diaper bags and such,” Paul explained. “And you’ll need something out West, if Annabeth is going to commute to Berkely for her design classes.”

“It’s kind of an engagement present too,” Sally told them. “Your first car together.”

Rachel shrieked happily and hugged Annabeth, and Percy and Sally and then Paul for good measure. Annabeth started crying then, as she hugged his mom tightly. “No way,” Percy said again, staring at the little blue Prius that somehow had suddenly morphed into  _ his.  _ Well,  _ theirs,  _ and that was even more surreal. “I’d hug you right now,” he told Paul. “But my hands are full.” He glanced down at Estelle, asleep in her carrier, obvious to the world.

Paul laughed, and put his arm around Percy’s shoulders. “Congratulations, Percy.”

“Thank you,” Percy replied, “This is...wow, this is just.” 

“Now, try not to get into any more trouble,” Paul cautioned him. “Your mom and I will still be covering the insurance until you guys can work out a steady income and we can transfer the title.”

“I promise,” Percy said, meaning it. “I will  _ try _ not to get it any more trouble.” Both of them knew he couldn’t promise not to get in any trouble, but he could at least try.

Rachel wiped her eyes. “I wasn’t this excited when I got the Porsche,” she said. “But then, it meant nothing to my dad, so why should it mean anything to me?” she asked rhetorically. “This is sooo cool.”

His mom hugged Rachel. “One of these days, I’m going to meet your father, and I’m going to give him a piece of my mind.” 

Rachel laughed, and held her tight.

“How did you pull this off?” Annabeth finally asked Paul.

“I picked it up yesterday, after school,” Paul explained. “Parked it around the corner in that garage. After Percy went to line up, I ran around the corner and brought it .”

“Sneaky,” Annabeth told him. 

His mom grinned. “This one’s yours, I guess,” she said, pulling her key to the Prius from her purse.

Annabeth stared at the key, and slowly took it from Sally, her expression clearly saying she did not quite believe it either. She stared up at Percy, holding her key. 

“So where do you want to go for food?” Sally finally asked, snapping them both out of their reverie. 

“I still say ice cream,” Percy declared. 

“Real food first,” his mother said firmly. “Then ice cream.”

“Fine,” Percy harrumphed. “How about Chinese?” he glanced at Annabeth for confirmation. 

“I’m good with Chinese,” she concurred. “Rache?”

“Yeah, that’s cool,” Rachel agreed. “I’m always down for Chinese.”

“The usual place?” Paul asked. “You guys want to meet us there?” he asked. 

Percy fingered the key in his hand, the whole concept still not quite setting in. “Yeah, that sounds good.”

His mom smiled at him, and took Estelle’s carrier. “We’ll see you there then.” She kissed him on the cheek. “I’m so proud of you.” 

“Hey, I’ll ride with you guys and Estelle,” Rachel said, giving Annabeth and Percy a wink. “I’d feel like a third wheel right now.” 

“Sure!” his Mom said.

“See you guys there!” Rachel waved as she moved off to help load Estelle into the new car.

Percy looked at Annabeth, and grinned. “Hey, babe, want to go for a ride?”

She shook her head and rolled her eyes. “Cheesy pickup lines are  _ not _ a turn on,” she told him.

“Awww.” He grinned anyway as they headed for the car. Percy had to wait for Paul to pull out before he got into the driver’s side. When he slid in, he found Annabeth adjusting the seat to her comfort, something she’d never done before, not wanting to mess up Paul’s settings. Percy started the car so he could adjust the side mirrors, and then started reprogramming the preset radio stations. 

“They even got you new air freshener,” Annabeth pointed out. “I’ve never seen one shaped like a conch shell before.” She tapped it with her finger.

There was a gentle rush of air, and the interior of the car suddenly smelled like the beach, like an onshore breeze had floated in. 

“Um,” Percy said, starting at the dangling object, his eyes almost crossing. “I…I don’t think Paul and Mom got that for me.”

“No,” Annabeth said faintly. “I guess not.”

They stared at it. Percy snorted and then began to laugh. “I got a godly air freshener as a graduation gift.” If there was something that could symbolize his entire relationship with Olympus, this would probably be it. It just symbolized their inability to understand mortals in any way shape or form. 

Annabeth bit her lip but she also began to giggle. “That’s….”

“Hilarious and incredible all at the same time,” Percy nodded. “I’ll burn an offering tonight,” he promised. “Thanks, Dad!” he called to nowhere in particular. 

“I wonder how long it will last?” Annabeth wondered.

“Hopefully forever. We’ll be able to pass it on to our children. It’ll be a Jackson family heirloom.” Annabeth laughed out loud. 

“Percy, you’re horrible. It’s a wonder no one on Olympus has ever smited you.” 

“Not for lack of trying,” Percy muttered, and went back to adjusting the radio stations. 

Annabeth looked around the car, inspecting it. “Maybe we should ask your parents if they can get another base for Estelle’s carrier. Then we could take her places,” she noted, glancing at the back seat.

“That’s not a bad idea, Percy agreed.

“Although,” she said, a teasing note in her voice. “It’s not Paul’s car anymore. And with the carrier base gone, there’s actually a fair amount of room in the back seat…” she trailed off suggestively.

Percy choked a laugh. “Maybe when we’re not meeting my parents,” he laughed. “I’m sure we can find some quiet places to pull over on the way to Camp” He let his gaze rake over her before he put the car in gear. In response to his scrutiny, she hiked up her skirt a little so he could see she was wearing her knife under it. He tightened his hands on the steering wheel. “Enough, woman,” he said. “Or you’ll distract me and we’ll both get killed in New York traffic.”

Her laughter echoed through the car like the ringing of a bell, and it was one of the most beautiful sounds Percy had ever heard.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Loved it? Hated it? Email: TheAuthor@no2ticonderoga.com
> 
> Twitter: No_2Ticonderoga


	56. 56: Annabeth

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'M ALIVE!
> 
> Hey guys! You might notice that I've finally put a final chapter on this. Sixty is the magic number. So, that's 57, 58, 59, and an epilogue. So, two Percy chapters, one more Annabeth, and the Epilogue will be a mix of things. 
> 
> Looking forward to it, kinda, sorta. Sad to see this wrap up, but ready to move on to other projects, including some companion pieces, and maybe some sequel one-shots. And original works. One of my New Year's Resolutions (as it is EVERY YEAR), is to write more. Maybe this will be the year.
> 
> Had some issues getting this one nailed down. I hope you like it!
> 
> Enjoy!

Percy and Paul left, and Sally continued to slather sunscreen on her shoulders. “You look nice tonight,” Sally complimented her.

“Thank you,” Annabeth blushed a little. She was not normally a skirts and dresses kind of girl. She wore her uniform skirt because she had to, but she didn’t generally wear such things casually, she preferred shorts. But she had to admit three things about them. One, they were cool and comfortable when the weather was this disgusting. Two, she enjoyed the way Percy’s eyes roamed over her when she did. And three, it made wearing her knife easier when she could hide it under her skirt. She didn’t dare not have it. Percy had started at Goode by blowing up the band room, she wouldn’t put it past him to have one final messy monster incident at graduation. She prayed not. 

Rachel texted to say she was on her way, so Annabeth and Sally packed Estelle into her carrier and made their way down to the street. It was disgusting out, but at least the ride over would be comfortable. A black Lincoln SUV pulled up to the curb, and Rachel hopped out to hug Annabeth and Sally and help them get Estelle belted in. Sally and Paul had one of those carriers that could lock into a car seat base, or be buckled in like a car seat all on it’s own. Very useful in New York, where cab rides were a daily occurrence. 

“You’re getting big!” Rachel announced. This was Rachel’s first time seeing Estelle in several months, as the last time she was home she hadn’t seen her. “You are enormous!”

Sally laughed. “Seems like it, doesn’t it?” she smiled at the Oracle. “Thank you for the ride.”

“Oh, of course, Mrs. Jackson!” Rachel replied. “It’s no problem at all!” 

“Rachel, I’ve told you, it’s Sally. Even Annabeth calls me Sally now,” Sally scolded lightly.

“Annabeth is your daughter-in-law,” Rachel pointed out. 

“Not quite yet,” Annabeth laughed. 

Rachel waved this away. “Girl, you’ve been her daughter-in-law for, like, two years already, no matter what the details are.” 

They all laughed...well, except the driver, who just started straight ahead into the traffic. Annabeth often wondered about the Dare family employees who were tasked with looking after Rachel. Did they ever wonder about Rachel’s strange friends, or requests, like when she would commandeer the helicopter to fly her out to the middle of nowhere Long Island? 

Sally interrogated Rachel on how her senior year had finished. Rachel gave her edited versions of the stories that she’d told Percy and Annabeth the last time she’d been home. “So glad to be done,” she said finally. “And now, at least, at NYU, I’m going to be able to focus on my interests more.”

“What does your father think about that?” Sally asked.

“He was a little put out that I didn’t apply to any of the Ivy League schools he wanted me to, but he’s OK with NYU, because it’s here in the city, and it’s still got a pretty good reputation. I think he thinks I’m going to major in business or something, but I’ve got no intention of doing that. Mom has been pushing me towards psychology recently, but I’m not really interested. I’m going to study art, and there’s nothing they can do to stop me.”

“They could cut you off,” Annabeth pointed out.

Rachel shrugged. “True. But I’ve managed to squirrel away enough of the spending allowance they gave me that I’ll have a small cushion to land on while I figure things out.” She grinned. “About every other month, I’d withdraw the surplus balance from the spending account they gave me. Before I turned 18, I kept the cash in a lockbox, but after I turned 18 and could open my own bank account, I put it all into a separate account that’s only in my name. I invested a little, but I don’t have a super lot. Still, I’ve got enough to pay rent on a cheap apartment for a couple months while I sort things out.” She nodded decisively. “And I’d sell the Porsche right off. The title is in my name.”

_ That must be nice _ , Annabeth reflected, to be able to cash out your allowance and stash away enough money to rent an apartment in New York for a couple months. And selling the Porsche would definitely cover her expenses for a good long while.

“That’s good planning,” Sally observed.

Rachel nodded. “I try. And I mean, I know I can always go to Camp. Well, once Apollo gets my cave squared away again. I mean, it would be awkward during the school year, but for the summers I’d be set. And I can always get a dorm.”

“What about college?”

“Dad’s not going to stop paying for college,” Rachel scoffed. “No matter how much he gets mad at me, he’d be too embarrassed at the thought of me being a college drop out to stop. They might cut my allowance, and kick me out of the apartment, but they won’t stop my tuition.”

The car pulled up in front of the school, and they all piled back out into the humidity.

“Ugh…” Rachel groaned. “I did not miss this,” she said. “New Hampshire at least had  _ that _ going for it.” 

Annabeth was not looking forward to sitting in the sun, though she was grateful for Sally’s mothering. She probably  _ would  _ have barbequed if she hadn’t been lathered in sunscreen. Annabeth turned to Sally, who was lifting Estelle’s carrier out of the SUV. “Do you want me to carry her?” Annabeth asked. 

“No, I got her,” Sally said, amused. “Sometimes, I do like carrying my own child.”

Annabeth was disappointed, but didn’t let it show. “Okay.”

“When does your dad’s flight get in again?” Sally asked her as they turned up the sidewalk.

“He’s taking the overnight,” Annabeth said. “He’ll be here about seven tomorrow morning.”

“Ugg, that’s awful. Are you going to meet him at the airport?” Sally wrinkled her nose.

Annabeth shook her head. “No, he told me not to, he’s going to get a cab and go straight to the hotel and sleep for a while, before we all get together for lunch.”

It had been decided long ago that they would meet together for lunch. Her father insisted that he would pay, as a thank you for all the kindness the Jacksons had shown her over the years. 

“How is your dad doing?” Rachel asked.

“He’s doing okay,” Annabeth said. “He’s just about finished the draft of his next book.”

“More Sopwith Camels?” Rachel asked.

“No, no,” Annabeth said. “He’s moved on from the Royal Flying Corps, and he’s working on an examination of the use of tanks at the Battle of Cambrai in 1917.” 

“Interesting,” Rachel commented. “Did he get himself a tank, too?”

“No,” Annabeth laughed. “A Sopwith Camel is one thing, because you can at least store it at the airport, and fly it in the sky. No place to drive a tank around the house.” They all laughed. 

They found their way around to the football field and took their places in the stands. Goode High’s field was tucked in behind the campus buildings, and surrounded on all four sides but much taller buildings. They at least threw some shade on the area. A lot of New York Schools didn’t have their own space. It was a turf field, with markings for soccer and lacrosse in addition to football. 

By the time they got settled, Estelle was starting to fuss about being in the carrier for so long, so Sally got her out. She settled down now that she was vertical and could see what was going on. Estelle seemed to be a naturally curious child, who always wanted to see what people were doing.

“I can’t believe we’re here,” Sally said, looking around, as the crowd continued to fill in. 

“Frankly it’s incredible that either of these two lunatics is still alive,” Rachel pointed out. 

Annabeth stuck her tongue out at her. Estelle giggled. 

“It’s true.” Rachel arched an eyebrow at her. “What did I say that wasn’t true?” she challenged. Annabeth just glared at her. “Your sister Annabeth lives dangerously, doesn’t she?” Rachel cooed at Estelle, who seemed fascinated by the Oracle’s curly red hair.

Sally laughed. “I don’t think it’s their choice.”

Rachel shrugged. “Fair.”

“Okay,” Annabeth muttered. “Enough picking on me.”

“Oh, we’re not picking on you,” Rachel assured her. “Just a general comment on the situation.” Rachel shrugged. “It’s not as if it’s your fault.”

“Well, that much is true,” Annabeth agreed.

A musical fanfare announced the start of the ceremony. The Goode High band began to blare it’s way through Pomp and Circumstance. They weren’t bad, Annabeth reflected. The Forester School had an orchestra, which would have an entirely different sound, she supposed, than the brass heavy rendition that was now echoing off the buildings. 

The purple and white clad graduates began to march in, and the audience rose in response.

“Percy is probably sweating to death,” Rachel reflected as they watched the graduates shuffle across the field. 

“Probably,” Annabeth said. “He’s always warm anyway.”

She craned her neck, trying to pick him out of the crowd. It was hard from this distance, but eventually, once she figured out how far down the alphabet they’d gotten, she found him. He looked as uncomfortable as she’d expected. 

“He’s dying out there,” Rachel agreed, also spying him. “Making people sit outside in this heat has to be a violation of some kind of cruel and usual punishment statute.”

“Shhh.” Sally hushed them both.

The ceremony dragged on. Annabeth caught Percy looking at them during the class president’s speech and waved. He waved back, but mostly looked uncomfortable and fidgety. Annabeth feel the same, though they did at least have Estelle for a distraction. She only got noisy once or twice, which Sally silenced with first a pacifier and then a bottle. Annabeth couldn’t help but look around, always watching the entrances and eyes constantly moving. She still wasn’t convinced that there wasn’t going to be some kind of monster attack.

She was sweeping the far entrances again when Rachel pinched her. “Stop it,” the Oracle hissed.

“Stop what?”

“You’re being paranoid,” Rachel told her. 

“I’d rather be paranoid than dead,” Annabeth shot back.

“Shhh.” Sally gave them both a mild glare.

Finally, blessedly, the conferring of diplomas started, and Annabeth shifted in her seat, and took a turn jiggling Estelle on her knee while they worked their way down the alphabet. And when they finally called “ _ Perseus Jackson!”  _ They all stood up and cheered their lungs out, despite the arch looks from the people around them. 

Annabeth watched him take his diploma and walk across the stage, looking at it like he wasn’t quite sure what to do with it, and she almost laughed out loud. She could almost hear him thinking from here:  _ four years and all this fuss for a fake leather folder with a scrap of paper in it?  _

She caught Sally’s eye, and Annabeth saw the tears that streamed down her face. She turned away, pretending not to notice, but Sally drew her into a tight hug, though her eyes were still on Percy. “We made it,” she breathed, directed at no one in particular. “And I didn’t lose him.”

Now Annabeth’s eyes threatened to water, but she just hugged Sally while Rachel held Estelle up and waved her little hand toward Percy, who still wasn’t looking their way. Then the next name was called, and they sat back down. 

The rest of the ceremony dragged on, but to Annabeth’s eternal relief, no monsters made an appearance at all. She sent up a silent prayer of thanks to Olympus as they all stood up. Estelle had passed out by this time, and Sally was strapping her into her carrier. “You girls go on ahead,” she told them. “I’ll catch up once you find him. Try and pin him down over there by the edge of the track.”

Annabeth and Rachel agreed and headed down the bleachers as fast as the crowd would allow. 

“I’ll pay you five bucks to jump into his arms and make out with him,” Rachel teased.

“What makes you think I wasn’t already planning on doing that?” Annabeth shot back with a grin. “He  _ is _ pretty attractive, in case you haven’t noticed.”

Rachel shrugged and grinned impishly. “I might have noticed, on occasion.” Annabeth hip checked her playfully. “But you aren’t seriously going to do that. Not demure and buttoned up Annabeth Chase,” Rachel scoffed. “You don’t do public displays of affection.”

Annabeth narrowed her eyes. “Is that a challenge?”

Rachel’s eyes glinted. “I’ve heard rumors about this kiss you had at New Rome,” she commented. “Though the Judo flip is optional.”

Annabeth mock glared at the redhead, who grinned impishly back. “Fine, you want fireworks, Dare? You’ll get fireworks.”

Annabeth spotted Percy with his arm around Josh, posing for pictures for Josh’s parents. She made her way determinedly through the crowd. He spotted her and his face lit up. He held open his arms, and Annabeth closed the last few yards and leaped into his arms, straddling his waist. He held her easily as she kissed him, warm and delicious as always. It was an altogether different kiss from the one they’d shared in New Rome. That one had been about desperation and relieved fear. This one tasted like their future. 

Percy showed no inclination to pull away, so Annabeth just went with it. It certainly wasn’t a  _ chore _ to kiss her fiancé, despite the growing chant of ‘ _ get a room’ _ which she was pretty sure Rachel had instigated. They finally broke apart from lack of oxygen, and Percy let her to the ground, but not before he had surreptitiously given her butt a suggestive squeeze. She was flushed and hot, and not quite sure if was with embarrassment or from the kiss. 

“Damn, girl,” Rachel whispered in her ear, after Percy’s mother appeared and embraced him. “Like, I didn’t know you had it in you. Do you want me to figure out how the two of you can slip off somewhere?”

“Shut up,” Annabeth grinned, but ducked her head, and continued to try and catch her breath.

There were pictures and more pictures and endless pictures, and then they headed out to the car. And that’s when the real surprise came.

Annabeth was stunned that Sally and Paul had given Percy - _ them!-  _ the Prius. She cried and hugged Sally and Paul. Annabeth could barely remember what everyone said, but then she found herself in the car with Percy.  _ Their  _ car.

Annabeth couldn’t believe how much she wanted him right now, but that would have to wait, despite her joke about the backseat. For one thing, there was no possible place for them to sneak off to in Manhattan. She wasn’t risking getting arrested for public indecency, no matter how badly she wanted him. 

Percy turned out of the parking lot and headed downtown. “So, you ready for yours tomorrow?” he asked.

“Yes,” Annabeth agreed. “And then it’s off to California on Monday. And, like, a whole week, of you, all to myself,” she purred.

Percy’s fingers flexed on the steering wheel. “Are you  _ trying  _ to kill me?” He shifted in his seat uncomfortably.

Annabeth laughed.

They arrived at the restaurant, and had a Chinese feast and Percy ate enough to feed an army, and then some. Annabeth ate till she was stuffed, and then Percy finished hers for her. He also kept stealing Rachel’s potstickers when she wasn’t looking. All in all it was an incredible dinner. And Percy even convinced them to go for ice cream, though she could hardly see how anyone had any room for it. Paul and Sally had taken theirs home in a to-go container. Rachel had pleaded a full stomach. Percy had a sundae, which Annabeth had offered to share with him. She’d eaten, like, two bites, before turning the remainder over to Percy. 

They said goodbye to Rachel, who promised to see them tomorrow for Annabeth’s graduation, and finally, Percy drove her back to the dorm.

She hesitated a moment as he pulled up to the curb, looking up at the building that had been her home. 

“Last night. Must feel weird,” Percy said. 

“Mm,” she agreed. She leaned over and kissed him again. Not quite as passionately as she had at graduation, but enough. “See you tomorrow. I love you.”

“Love you too,” he said. “See you tomorrow, Wise Girl.” 

When she got upstairs to her room, Kirsten was there, along with Kassandra and Ava. They were still dressed from baccalaureate.

“Hey,” she said, greeting them. The room echoed. It was essentially empty. Nearly all of her belongings were gone, packed up and carried uptown to Percy’s place. She only had two changes of clothes, pajamas, the sheets on her bed, her phone charger, an alarm clock and her graduation robes. Kirsten only had a few boxes left stacked on the two empty desks and a suitcase. Kirsten and Ava had the desk chairs, and Kassandra lounged on Kirsten’s bed. 

“Hey, how was it?” Ava asked.

“It was good. Painful in the sunshine. Better once it went down a little. Still hot though. And then we went for Chinese.”

“That sounds fun,” Kassandra commented. 

“How was baccalaureate?” Annabeth asked. This was met with a chorus of groans.

“Awful!” Kirsten moaned. 

“Father Fred told this  _ wonderful  _ story about a graduate from a few years back, who struggled through leukemia and graduated,” Ava explained.

“That’s not so bad,” Annabeth said.

“And then she  _ died _ . Like a week later. And how graduating from Forester was the crowning achievement of her life, and she died holding her diploma,” Kassandra finished. 

“Oh,” Annabeth said faintly. 

“It was horrible.” Kirsten shook her head. 

“Sounds it.”

“So what are we talking about?” Annabeth asked, kicking her shoes off and flopping down on her bed. 

“Not much,” Kassandra shrugged. “Just…”

“Trying not to think about the fact this is the last night here,” Kirsten pointed out. Kassandra and Ava groaned and glared at Kirsten. “It’s the truth,” she said.

“Yes, but that doesn’t mean you have to say it out loud!” Ava protested. 

“No kidding,” Kassandra agreed. She blinked her eyes rapidly. “No. I’m not going to.”

“What’s the schedule for tomorrow?” Annabeth asked.

“Senior brunch in the cafeteria from nine to eleven,” Kirsten answered. “Then line up at 6:30 in arts building.” 

“Weather forecast is for thunderstorms tomorrow, so it’s a good thing we’re indoors,” Kassandra said, checking her phone.

Annabeth grumbled and glanced toward the ceiling. Probably too late to put in any requests to Olympus, but maybe she’d ask her mom to put in a good word with Zeus to try and hold things off. Thunderstorms made Percy jumpy. Well, most things about either of his uncles made him jumpy. Hades, of course, made him the most uneasy, though he saw less of him than just about any other Olympian. 

Their conversation dragged on in a desultory manner for a few more minutes, and finally it left them all sort of looking at each other, and it was clear that none of them wanted to be the first to say goodnight.

Ava broke first. “You guys will text, right?” 

“Of course,” Kassandra promised. 

“And it’s not like we’re all going to be super far away,” Kirsten pointed out. “Annabeth will be here in the city most of the summer, and Ava you’ll be at the Hamptons, and I’m only an hour away in Connecticut. We’ll get together this summer a couple of times, before we head off in the fall.”

Kassandra nodded, though she clearly swallowed past the lump in her throat. They were all trying to put a brave face on it. 

When she’d started at the Forester School, Annabeth would have laughed out loud at the suggestion that she would feel any emotion other than joy to be leaving. Now, sitting here with her three closest friends outside of the demigod world, and facing the prospects of not seeing them again in a long time, Annabeth’s heart was breaking. She hadn’t felt this bad since the end of the last war. This might have surprised others, particularly those who misunderstood Athena and her children. Just because Athena eschewed romantic love, didn’t mean she didn’t understand the emotion in a platonic sense. She had mourned deeply when she’d accidently killed Pallas, after all. Friendship, loyalty, and connection on an intellectual level - all characteristics that could describe her relationship with her friends here with her - were the traits Athena valued. To a certain degree, Annabeth did think of them as sisters. 

“Well,” Ava finally said, looking at her phone. “It’s late. And we have a big day tomorrow.”

“Yeah.” Kirsten agreed.

No one moved.

“Oh, fuck,” Kassandra finally said, her tears breaking through. “I’m going to miss you guys.”

As if that was the cue they’d be waiting for, they piled onto Kirsten’s bed with Kassandra in a big group hug. There were tears and hugs, and promises to stay in touch. And when they were are cried out, they sat on the bed, taking deep breaths and pulling themselves back together. Annabeth sat on one end, next to Ava, with Kirsten at the far end, on the other side of Kassandra. 

“It’s going to be okay,” Kirsten announced. They all nodded. 

“Yup,” Kassandra agreed. “As long as Ava doesn’t trip over her gown on the way across the stage, like she did with that ball gown at Sophomore semi.” She laughed.

“I couldn’t  _ see!”  _ Ava protested. “I’d lost a contact lens!”

“Why weren’t you wearing your glasses?” Kirsten asked. “You almost never wear contacts.”

“I was trying to pull off sexy,” Ava grumbled. “I didn’t think they went with the dress.”

“Because falling down going up the stairs to the gym was sooooooo sexy,” Kassandra giggled.

“Yeah, well, what about the time…” Ava began.

And they laughed, and joked, and told stories about all the stupid things they’d done, or the boys they’d met, or everything else worth remembering until Ava was falling asleep on Annabeth’s shoulder. It would be a long day in a few hours, but just for now, they still had each other.


	57. 57: Percy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay! Life's been kind of crazy lately, and Dr. Chase would NOT cooperate. The good news is that I'm already part way through the next chapter, and I have a pretty clear idea of how 58 and 59 will go. I've even got bits going from the epilogue. So hopefully you won't be waiting as long for the next chapter!

Percy woke up Saturday morning, stretched and blinked, and lay in his bed for another luxurious moment. It was crazy to think about the fact that he was now a high school graduate. He would never have to go back there again. Unless he wanted to. Which he might, he allowed, to see the small handful of teachers he had enjoyed. 

What was more incredible to think about was that last night was the last night he would sleep alone for a while. Tonight, Annabeth would be here, and they’d be together until they got back from California, and he went to Camp. Annabeth would stay in the city until after her internship was over, but then she’d be at Camp to. And while it wasn’t strictly what it was  _ supposed _ to be used for, her Yankees camp would come in handy.

That thought put a smile on his face as he yawned, and sat up in bed. His feet kicked a box when he swung them over the edge of the bed, and his smile slipped a little. 

His room currently resembled a storage unit, with nearly all of Annabeth’s school possessions packed in storage boxes and a collection of mismatched luggage, some of which his mom and Paul had lent to her. Granted, Annabeth didn’t have a lot, but Percy’s room wasn’t that big either. He had done his best to prepare for her arrival by clearing space, but still. 

_ Maybe I could unpack some of this stuff for her,  _ Percy thought.  _ It would be a nice surprise.  _ At minimum, if he could unpack the suitcases, then he could shift the boxes around and at least get them out of the way of the bed.

He checked the clock on the nightstand. It was just after nine. Annabeth would be heading to senior breakfast at the Forester School, and indeed when he checked his phone, he found that she had texted to say that she was up, she’d heard from her father, who was safely at the hotel, and that she would see him after breakfast when they would go pick up her dad.

He made his way out to the kitchen, where his mother was puttering around. He glanced into the living room, and saw Paul entertaining Estelle with Saturday morning cartoons.

“Morning,” he said. 

“Good morning dear,” his mom answered. “Did you sleep okay?”

"Pretty well,” he allowed. “Is there any breakfast?” he asked hopefully.

“There’s your cereal,” she said. “I’m sorry I don’t have pancakes this morning, but I thought I would do those tomorrow when Annabeth is here.”

“That’s fine,” he agreed readily. That would be more of an occasion anyway. He pulled the box of Boo Berry cereal from the cabinet and poured a bowl.

“Have you heard from Annabeth yet today?” Mom asked.

“Yes,” Percy nodded, before shoveling the blue cereal into his mouth. His mother arched an eyebrow at him, and he swallowed hastily to convey the rest of the message.

“Good. I’m looking forward to seeing Frederick,” Sally nodded. “And what are you going to do while you’re waiting?”

“I thought I might help Annabeth by unpacking some of the suitcases into the dresser drawers. Then we can get the suitcases back into storage.”

His mom smiled. “That is an excellent plan. Do you want help?”

“Nah, I got it,” he waved this off, then paused. “Though, if I bring my hamper out, will you start a load of laundry for me?”

“Of course, dear.”

After finishing his breakfast, Percy washed his dishes and retreated to his room. He stayed in his pajamas for now, figuring he’d put on the casual slacks and polo shirt his mom had helped him pick out for lunch with Dr. Chase closer to when it was time to go. 

He unzipped the first suitcase and found a collection of t-shirts. He opened an empty drawer in the dresser, and began laying them in. 

He’d been working for a little while, he’d emptied one suitcase filled with shirts and shorts, and moved on to the second when Paul appeared in the doorway.

“How’s it going?” he asked. 

“Not too bad,” Percy replied. “I’m about half done. I’m starting to worry I didn’t clear enough space, though.”

Paul looked at the drawer. “Is that the last of the empty space?” he asked.

“Yeah,” Percy allowed.

Paul looked around. “Kinda tight in here. Hm.” He stepped into the room. “You know, if we…hm.” He rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

“What?”

“If we rotated the bed to this wall,” he pointed. “We could move the desk to the other corner, and you might get another dresser in here,” he gestured. “You’d have to go all the way around the bed to get to the closet, but that doesn’t seem so bad.”

Percy looked around. “You know, you’re right.”

“How much time you got before Annabeth gets here?” he asked. “I bet we could get a dresser at the thrift store on 68th for short cash.”

Percy glanced at the clock. “Probably about an hour. Let me just finish putting these pants in the drawer and then I’ll change and we’ll go.” He reached into the suitcase. He pulled up the next set of pants, but his brain registered that what he was holding was not heavy enough to be pants. He looked down.

Percy wasn’t sure exactly when Annabeth had acquired a black lace bra, but she hadn’t ever worn it when he’d been able to see it. He certainly would have remembered that. What he  _ did _ remember, a split second later, was that he was not alone in his room. 

Paul coughed, his face a picture, colored with embarrassment. “I’ll...just,” he gestured out the door.

“Uh, yeah, let’s…” Percy dropped the item back into the suitcase quickly. “I’ll change and we’ll go,” he said decisively. “Can we...not talk about that, like, ever?” he asked.

“Absolutely,” Paul agreed. 

Forty minutes later, Paul was helping him haul the 20 dollar dresser up the elevator to their apartment. It was plain, but it was functional, and it would solve the problem. They maneuvered it down the hall, and got it in the door.

“We’re back!” Paul announced.

“Oh, good,” Sally called from down the hall. “I’m about ready for you guys to move the bed.”

Percy went down the hall. While they were gone, his mom had moved all the remaining boxes into the hallway, and cleaned out around and under his bed. “Oh, hey,” he said. “I was looking for that sweatshirt,” he said, grabbing the AHS swim hoodie from the top of the pile of boxes. “I meant to return this to lost and found. Where did you find it?”

“Under the bed,” Sally said. “Along with a lot of other junk. Remember that textbook you couldn’t find that we had to pay for?”

“Oops.” 

“Oops is right.” His mom glared at him, but softened it with a shake of her head. “I have the vacuum for when you get it moved. I shudder to think what else might be hiding under there.”

Percy shuddered too. But was relieved when the move revealed nothing more than a few energy bar wrappers, stray pages from a broken 3 ring binder and some industrial strength dust bunnies. Percy gathered the trash in a trash bag and his mother went to work with the vacuum. Percy moved the desk, and she repeated the process after he cleaned up the various pens, pencils, paperclips and staples that had wandered under the drawers. He and Paul then slid the new dresser into place next to the old one. He and Paul were just dusting their hands and feeling pleased with the result when Annabeth arrived. 

“Hey,” he called. She came down the hall. She was wearing ‘nice’ shorts, rather than cutoffs, since they were going to lunch, and a pale blue t-shirt that set off her blonde hair rather nicely, Percy thought. 

“What’s all this?” she asked.

“I thought you could use some more drawer space,” Percy told her. “I started unpacking your clothes and I ran out of room in the drawers I had cleaned out for you.” He gestured to his mom and Paul. “They helped.”

Annabeth looked around the reconfigured room. “Oh, that’s so…” she trailed off. “Thank you.” She hugged Sally and Paul, and then Percy tightly. “Thank you.”

“Hey, no problem,” he told her.

“What time are we meeting your dad?” Sally asked, as she wound up the vacuum cord.

Annabeth pulled her phone out of her shorts pocket. “I’m supposed to call him at the hotel at quarter past 12. He said he asked for a wakeup call at 11:30 or so.” 

Percy could see the bedside clock, now moved with the nightstand, and it read 12:03, so they had a few minutes. 

“Do you have any idea where he was thinking for lunch?” Sally asked.

Annabeth winced. “Um...he said something about the Times Square Olive Garden.” 

“Oh, that’s nice,” his mom said. Percy saw Paul barely avoid rolling his eyes. 

The Olive Garden really had a racket going with their Times Square location. A city with some of the best Italian food outside of Italy, in quaint little small business locations, and all the tourists somehow thought that they could get good Italian food at a chain restaurant they could hit up in any moderately sized city in the country. Percy sighed inwardly.

Annabeth must have read something in his expression, or maybe Paul’s, because she said: “Maybe I can suggest something else.”

“No, it’s fine dear,” Sally told her benignly. “If that’s what your father wants, we can go there.”

“He wasn’t sure. I’ll talk to him.”

_ Thank you, _ Percy mouthed at her. She nodded and rolled her eyes. 

Estelle, who had been put down for an early nap, started to fuss from her crib in his parents room, and Paul left to tend to her while his mom finished dealing with the vacuum, leaving Annabeth and Percy alone briefly.

“You did all this for me?” she asked, looking around.

“Of course,” he grinned, and she leaned in for a kiss. 

“Well, thank you.” They sat down on the edge of the bed. “It’s funny,” she said. “But this…” she paused. “This is going to sound weird.”

Percy shrugged “What about our lives isn’t?”

“Fair point,” she acknowledged. “But, changing the room like this...it makes it feel more...ours. Not just me moving in with you, but more a shared space.” She shrugged. “I don’t think I’m articulating this well. But...it’s nice. I like it. It’s like...the car, and how your parents said it was ours.”

“I get it,” Percy nodded. “I think it’s cool too. It’s like...it’s  _ our  _ room now, not just you hanging out in  _ my  _ room.”

“Exactly,” Annabeth sighed and leaned into him. She rested her head on his shoulder and he put his arm around her, holding her close. She held his hand on her knee, and her engagement ring sparked up at them.

“You ready for this?” he asked. 

“Lunch, graduation, or the rest of our lives?” she replied.

Percy considered “Yes.” He grinned.

“Yeah, I think so.” She turned to him and kissed him.

“Look who’s awake!” Sally announced, carrying Estelle in. She was still a little bleary eyed from her nap, but she was clearly excited to see Annabeth, who took her eagerly. Estelle yawned, and put her head down on Annabeth’s shoulder. 

“Hey there, munchkin,” Percy said, stroking her hair. She furrowed her brow in her ‘leave me alone’ face, and Percy desisted.

“She’ll need a minute or two to finish waking up,” Sally said, smiling at them. 

“She’s so sweet,” Annabeth cooed. “Aren’t you my little one?” she purred. Estelle shifted a little on her shoulder and sighed.

“Anyone would think she was your sister,” Percy joked.

“She is my sister,” Annabeth retorted.

“In-law, I suppose,” Percy allowed. “But yeah, I guess so.” He really hadn’t thought about it quite that way before. Annabeth would be Estelle’s older sister. There wasn’t a time in Estelle’s life when Annabeth wasn’t there. In fact, she probably wouldn’t even remember a time before he and Annabeth were married. Wasn’t that something to think about?

Annabeth’s phone began to ring, so Annabeth shifted Estelle around to dig her phone out of her pocket. Estelle objected to this jostling, but not loudly. 

“Hi Dad,” Annabeth answered. She paused. “Yeah we’re ready to come get you anytime.” Another pause. “How about you let Percy and I pick the place? We know where the good food it.” Pause. “Yes, I promise. No. No, we’ll make sure you’ll be okay.” Pause. “Okay. We’ll see you in a bit. Okay. Love you.” She hung up, and stood up. “Dad’s ready,” she said, passing Estelle back to his mom. “Where do you want to go for lunch?” she asked Percy. 

“Um.” Percy tried to think.

“Dad doesn’t like spicy food, so that puts out Thai, most Chinese, and Mexican,” Annabeth pointed out.

“Well, I could do Italian, if he wanted Olive Garden. There are plenty of good places, like Marconi’s, down on 48th,” Percy offered. He glanced at his mom.

“Of course that would be fine with us,” she replied. “As long as it’s okay with your dad.”

“It will be fine,” Annabeth assured her. “Do you want to meet there, in like, 40 minutes? It will take that long for us to get to the hotel and pick him up and bring him there.”

“That sounds fine.” She smiled. “We’ll see you there.”

Percy and Annabeth took the car out to the hotel. Dr. Chase was staying at the Holiday Inn Express down by the Port Authority Bus Terminal. Annabeth wasn’t sure her dad could manage the subway without a guide, so it made just as much sense for them to go pick him up anyway. Dr. Chase was brilliant, but as distractible as the worst ADHD demigod, and as absent minded as the worst professor, so Annabeth preferred to see him escorted for as much of his visit as possible. After lunch, they would claim the last of Annabeth’s belongings from the dorm, and return to the apartment, where they would spend the afternoon until graduation. Someone would take him back to the hotel afterwards. 

When Percy pulled the car up in front of the hotel, Dr. Chase was standing by the curb. Percy took a deep breath as Annabeth got out to greet him. His eyes lit up and he beamed when he saw her, and for a moment, Percy saw Annabeth in the smile. They hugged awkwardly on the curb. They spoke a few words, and Annabeth showed him her left hand. He hugged her again and then climbed in the car. Annabeth let her dad ride up front. 

This was the moment he’d been dreading for a while. He was in the same place as his future father-in-law. Percy cleared his throat. “Hello, um, Dr. Chase.” 

“Percy! It’s so good to see you!” Dr. Chase replied. “Congratulations! On your graduation as well,” he added.

“Thank you, sir,” Percy nodded. And that was that. If he still wasn’t terrified, he would have laughed on how anticlimactic the first meeting was. He checked his mirrors and pulled back out into traffic. 

“I’m so pleased for the both of you,” Dr. Chase continued. “It’s exciting to be here.” He was already rubbernecking around the car. 

“We’re glad you’re here too, Dad,” Annabeth added from the back seat.

“I haven’t been in the city in a long time. The last time we came out to pick up Annabeth we didn’t get a chance to do any visiting, we were on a tight schedule,” Dr. Chase said. “I’m looking forward to seeing something of the city.” He turned to Annabeth. “I’m sorry Cynthia and boys couldn’t come, dear. They all wanted to, but you know the boys had a basketball tournament this weekend, and with you coming out next week, it didn’t make sense for all of us to fly out.” If Percy didn’t know better, he’d say this sounded like nervous babbling. 

“It’s okay,” Annabeth said, a little awkwardly, Percy thought. “I’m...I’m glad we’ll have this time together,” she managed. Percy rather thought it was more than okay that they didn’t come. He figured Annabeth would rather have him to herself. And from his point of view, he didn’t have to worry about making an impression on his step-mother-in-law.

Annabeth provided a tour guide narration of their drive to the restaurant, and Percy focused on driving, though he made sure to drive by a bunch of landmarks on the way. Considering Dr. Chase would be leaving the next day to fly back to California, there wasn’t a whole lot of time for sightseeing. He wanted to make a good impression, though, so he figured he could accommodate him as best he could. 

Percy avoided having to make a lot of conversation by virtue of driving, and the need to not get killed in NYC traffic. Even on a Saturday, Manhattan traffic could be murder. But he was nervous about lunch. He would have to engage with Dr. Chase, presumably. The fact was that Percy hadn’t really ever talked that much with him: that time when they rescued Annabeth, once or twice when he’d been at Camp to pick her up, a handful of times he had visited Annabeth for school functions, and then to call him to tell him that he was asking Annabeth to marry him. He couldn't really say they had a ‘relationship’ of any kind. It was clear that he at least approved of Percy, which was something. But still. 

When they arrived, Percy was relieved to find a parking space right nearby, and he managed not to make a hash of parallel parking the car. It was good that the Prius was so small. Percy glanced at a Ford Expedition parked a few cars down and shuddered.

“Nicely done, young man,” Dr. Chase told him as they got out. 

“Thanks,” Percy replied. Annabeth came around the car and snaked a reassuring arm around his waist. She could tell he was a little rattled. 

His mom, Paul and Estelle were already waiting, they’d already put in for a table, which cut down on the wait time. 

“Hello!” Sally called. “It’s good to finally see you!” She greeted Dr. Chase with a hug. He returned it awkwardly, looking a little surprised. 

“I’m glad to be here,” he stammered. “You’ve been so kind to Annabeth. I don’t know how I could ever repay you.” 

“Oh, please,” Sally protested. “Annabeth is wonderful. And I don’t think Percy would have survived without her. It’s been my pleasure.” 

“Yes, well,” Dr. Chase managed, glancing over at them. “I think the same could be said for Annabeth with regards to Percy.”

“Will you folks follow me?” the host called, grabbing menus. “Your table is ready.”

“You seem nervous,” Annabeth whispered at him as they were led to their table by their server. Percy just shrugged. “It’s fine. You’re doing fine. Nothing to be nervous about, Seaweed Brain.” She squeezed his hand.

Percy and Annabeth sat down next to each other, with Dr. Chase on Annabeth’s other side. His mom sat next him, with Estelle’s high chair between her and Paul. 

“Thank you so much for having me to lunch today.” Dr. Chase looked around the table. His eyes lingered on Annabeth and Percy. “It’s...it’s been a while. So many things have…” he trailed off.

_ Changed _ , Percy thought he was going to say. He realized that he hadn’t been wrong earlier. Dr. Chase  _ was  _ nervous. He was nervous because he didn’t know how he fit anymore. 

He hadn’t seen Annabeth since last summer. And yes, things had changed. And besides the obvious, of Percy asking her to marry him, but that was part of it. He had to be feeling a little bit left out, like he wasn’t a part of Annabeth’s life anymore. Here they were, the happy Jackson-Blofis family, with Dr. Chase on the outside looking in. A daughter he loved, and already missed so much of her life, she was now leaving him behind, joining a new family, who was more present, more connected to her life than he had ever been.

For the first time, Percy realized that Dr. Chase might be just as nervous as he was. 

It was oddly reassuring. He squeezed Annabeth’s hand under the table.

“So,” Dr. Chase said, after they were all seated and the waiter had come and gone, proffering menus and wine samples to the adults. “Are you excited about tonight?” He directed his question at Annabeth. 

“I guess,” Annabeth allowed. “I mean, honestly, I just kinda want to get it over with. Except for Ava’s speech, I’m not really excited about any of the speakers.”

“Yeah,” Percy agreed. “At least you know any of your speakers. I didn’t know any of them...well, except the principal, I guess.”

“I’m looking forward to meeting your friends,” Dr. Chase told Annabeth. “Especially your roommate.”

“I’m going to miss her,” Annabeth admitted. “She’s been very good about everything. I know I’m not an easy person to live with.” She and Percy exchanged a wry look. 

“We’re looking forward to seeing you both back in California next week,” Dr. Chase added enthusiastically. “Matthew and Bobby and quite excited about seeing you, Percy.”

Percy smiled weakly, unsure about this. It had been  _ years _ since they had seen him, so he wasn’t sure what that might mean. “I’m...we’re excited to come out. We’re anxious to spend some time getting to know New Rome.”

“Have you decided what you’re going to study?” Dr. Chase asked. He was trying to feel his way into the conversation.

Percy wished he had opened with something else. He winced. “Um...probably marine biology...but, I’m not really sure,” he allowed. “Annabeth has made me think about some other career options as well. And I’ll probably be committing a lot of time to swimming,” he said. He realized Dr. Chase might not know about his plan. “I’m actually planning to go out for the US National Team.” 

Dr. Chase lowered his glass of complimentary Chianti in surprise. “Really now? That’s amazing!” 

Percy felt his face heat up a little. “Thank you,” he managed.

He was saved from further response by the return of their waiter, who took their orders. Paul diverted Dr. Chase’s attention by asking about his latest research, which carried the conversation well into when their food arrived. Paul seemed genuinely interested, and the rest of them managed to feign polite attention. Dr. Chase also gushed over the food, complimenting them on picking out the restaurant. 

In the lulls between the conversations, Percy saw Dr. Chase glancing at them, as if trying to study them, or, well, Annabeth at least. His face would cloud, as if he really couldn’t recognize the woman in front of him. Percy had to admit they’d grown up a lot.  _ We’ve always been old for our age, but we’re closer to adults now than ever.  _ He tried to imagine what it would have been like if he’d been away from his mom for a year, and what she might have seen in him. She’d often commented on how fast he seemed to be growing up. Imagine if it had happened all at once. That was pretty much what Dr. Chase was experiencing right now. 

Still, at the same time, Percy still a little wary. It wasn’t as if he was really expecting Dr. Chase to turn on him, or anything like that, but despite the phone call, and the story Annabeth had told about her father’s reaction to the guidance counselor at her school, Percy really wasn’t sure how he felt about the fact that his daughter was engaged to be married before she’d even turned 18. And it wasn’t as he was a great match, from a traditional standpoint. He knew he wasn’t Annabeth’s intellectual equal, though few people really could be anyway. Would Dr. Chase resent him for not being on the same level as Annabeth? Would he think that Annabeth could do better? Percy often thought she could, in his darker moments. He knew he was wrong to think that, and Annabeth had told him so, on many occasions. But what did Dr. Chase think?

“Percy?” Paul asked.

Percy looked up. Everyone was looking at him. He’d missed something.

“Uh, sorry, what?” he asked, embarrassed. 

“I was telling Dr. Chase about the paper you wrote for Mr. Adams class,” Paul explained. 

“Oh,” Percy replied. “Yeah. Mr. Adams really liked it.” Percy’s mouth twisted into a sardonic grin. “He wanted to know if I’d ever considered a military career.”

“I think you’ve had quite enough fighting for one lifetime,” his mom said primly. 

“I know, but I couldn’t tell him that,” Percy added. “Still, it was nice that he liked it.”

“I’d love to read it sometime,” Dr. Chase told him. “I’m always interested in fresh perspectives.”

“It’s a little bit out of your field,” Percy protested weakly.

“Nonsense, my boy,” Dr. Chase corrected him. “These lessons are always valid, no matter when they come from. History isn’t always linear, you know. We can apply lessons of the present to understand the past as well as we can apply the past to understand the future.”

“I...I’ll get you a copy,” he managed. Dr. Chase beamed.  _ Maybe he doesn’t secretly hate me after all,  _ Percy thought.

When the meal was finally over, it was time to take Annabeth down to the dorm for the last time, to pack up the last of her things and bring them back to the apartment. Sally needed to take Estelle back to the apartment, so Percy said that he and Annabeth would take Dr. Chase with them, allowing him to see more of the city. Percy offered to drive by the Freedom Tower, which was nearly finished, as well as to drive down to the Battery, so Dr. Chase could get a glance at the Statue of Liberty. He looked wistfully out the window. “She really does look like you mother,” he sighed.

Annabeth provided a running commentary as they drove, pointing out important landmarks, like where Percy had fought Clazmonian Sow, or where Annabeth had saved Rachel in her helicopter. But also normal things, like the Trinity Church, which Dr. Chase actually got really excited about, because apparently National Treasure was one of his favorite movies to watch with Matthew and Bobby. 

When Percy pulled up to Annabeth’s dorm, there was a parking space open right near the building, which Percy thought was really sweet. He was doing well with the parking luck today. He wondered if there was a minor god responsible for parking. Maybe he’d ask in New Rome. That seemed like a Roman thing.

They went into the building. There were all kinds of people going in and out, moving boxes and suitcases. “Dude,” Percy said. “I’m finally going to get to see your room,” he realized. 

Annabeth just shook her head. “I’m only bringing you to carry the bags,” she pointed out, giving him a grin. 

They made their way up to the fourth floor. 

“Annabeth!” A voice called. It was Ava, carrying suitcases. She put them down to hug her. 

“Ava, this is my Dad.” Annabeth introduced him. 

"It's nice to meet you, Dr. Chase," Ava smiled, shaking his hand. “Annabeth’s probably my best friend here.” 

Annabeth went a lovely shade of pink that Percy would have at least made a comment about, but Mr. and Mrs. Cunningham appeared and greeted Dr. Chase as well. Mr. Cunningham seemed especially pleased to meet him, and the moment he’d mentioned reading Dr. Chase’s books, Dr. Chase’s face lit up like the Rockefeller Center tree and he immediately launched into a description of his newest research. Percy felt his head start to swim, so he tugged Annabeth’s arm. “Which room is yours?” he asked in a whisper, as to not interrupt the conversation. “I’ll go grab your suitcase.”

“Third on the right,” she pointed. “I’ll be there in a minute. You can start taking the sheets of the bed and stuff.”

“Right,” Percy agreed. The door was open, but he knocked on the doorframe anyway. 

“Come in,” a voice called. 

Percy wandered in, his first look at the dorm room Annabeth had occupied for the last two years. Kirsten was packing a suitcase, and a man he didn’t recognize was taping up a packing box.

“Hey, Percy,” Kirsten called. She stared at him oddly, almost intent.

“Annabeth will be along in a minute,” he said, feeling a little awkward. “She’s talking with Ava and her parents.” 

Kirsten nodded. “Percy, this is my dad. Dad, this is Percy, Annabeth’s fiancé.” 

Kirsten’s father, a tall man with hair that was once dark but now salt and pepper, smiled at him as he offered his hand. “I’ve heard about you,” he said. “Congratulations on your engagement.”

“Thank you, sir,” Percy replied automatically, then stopped because he didn’t know what else to say. Finally, he managed. “I know Annabeth has really valued Kirsten’s friendship.” 

Kirsten ducked her head at this, but then resumed her study of him. Percy realized abruptly that this was the first time she’d seen him since Annabeth had told her the truth. He wondered what she was thinking. He turned to start taking the sheets of Annabeth’s bed. 

“I’ll be right back,” Kirsten’s father said, hefting the box he’d been taping. “Are we almost there?” he asked. “I swear you have more stuff now than when you moved in. How is that possible?” he asked rhetorically.

“Only a few more. I’m just about finished here,” Kirsten assured him. 

He left. Kirsten waited until he was gone, then turned on Percy. 

“So your dad is  _ really _ Poseidon?” she asked.

Percy nodded. “Yep.” 

“And...and...you, and Annabeth, you really fought your way through hell? Like, actual hell?” 

“Tartarus, but mostly the same thing,” Percy replied. “It sucked.”

Kirsten just kind stared at him for a long moment, and shook her head. “I don’t think I could even begin to comprehend. I mean, I understood what she was telling me, but I…” she trailed off. “It doesn’t seem real.” She paused. “You two take good care of each other, okay?”

Percy smiled. “We’ll keep an eye on each other, that I can promise you.”

Kirsten nodded decisively. “Good. I don’t have a whole lot of friends, and none like Annabeth, so I don’t want to lose her.”

“Neither do I, so we have that much in common.” Percy pulled the last sheet off the bed and rolled it up with the others. Folding was...not an activity he was good at, despite his mother’s best efforts. He looked around, and saw the suitcase he knew was Annabeth’s. He set it on the bare mattress and began to pack the sheets and pillows into it.

“So, you can really talk to sea creatures?” she asked.

Percy nodded. “Yeah. It’s cool, but also disconcerting. Like...I haven’t been able to eat seafood in a while,” he admitted.

“Annabeth mentioned that.”

“And fish have such potty mouths,” Percy continued. “Like the ones in the tank in my biology class? Oh, man, they…”

He trailed off as Annabeth and her dad came in. Annabeth and Kirsten hugged, and Annabeth introduced her dad, while Percy finished packing the bed clothes and pillows in her suitcase. He looked around. Annabeth’s pajamas had already been folded up in the suitcase, along with a second change of casual clothes. The only other things he saw were the alarm clock on the bedside table and a phone charger, both of which he unplugged and tucked in on top of the pillows. 

“I think that’s everything?” he asked, looking around. 

Annabeth glanced around. “Yeah, I think so, except for the stuff in the closet.” She opened the wardrobe and took out some hangers. They held a dress, and her graduation robe. She paused, and took a long look around the room. She stepped over to the window, and peered out of it, with an odd look of not quite nostalgia. Percy crossed to her, and peered out as well.  _ Ah _ , he though, spying the sliver of the Williamsburg Bridge. He put his arm around her and held her for a moment. Her hand strayed to the small of his back and rubbed a circle there. 

Kirsten’s father reappeared then, and there were more introductions all around. But there wasn’t much left for either of them to do. 

“Well,” Annabeth said, looking around. “I guess this is it,” she said to Kirsten. 

Kirsten hugged her fiercely. “See you tonight,” she said. 

“You bet.” 

“You need to come visit in Connecticut this summer. Bring Percy,” Kirsten grinned at him.

“Yes,” Annabeth agreed. “We will,” she promised. She glanced at Percy and then over to the suitcase. “You got that?” 

Percy hoisted the suitcase. “Isn’t this why you brought me?” he said with a grin.

“Absolutely,” she agreed, and everyone laughed. 

They took their leave, stopping to say goodbye to Ava, who also made them promise to visit her over the summer. It would be much easier to visit her, given that she would be at her family’s house in the Hamptons most of the summer, really only a hop skip and a jump from Camp. 

It was pushing late afternoon by the time Percy drove them back uptown. He’d circled through Central Park, and they’d continued pointing out both tourist attractions, and important sites in their history. 

“And that’s where Percy dumped a middle school bully in a fountain,” Annabeth said as they cruised past the Met.

“Thanks,” Percy muttered. Annabeth laughed.

“I…” Dr. Chase hesitated. “Thank you both for taking me around the city today,” he said, sounding small. 

“You’re welcome,” Percy said, a little surprised, despite his earlier thoughts. 

“I...I know things between us haven’t always been...well,” he shrugged awkwardly. “But...I…” he swallowed. “I’m very proud of you both. And, I don’t know if I’ve said it, but Percy, thank you,” he paused. “If it weren’t for you...well.” Percy caught Dr. Chase out of the corner of his eye as he shivered. He continued. “It’s hard sometimes for me to see you as the adults you are now. Maybe it’s because Annabeth was gone for so much time, but I sometimes hardly think you’re old enough to be in high school, let alone be graduating, or...getting married.” The last part of that sounded a little strangled. “It’s nice to feel so...included.”

Annabeth leaned forward and put her hand on her father’s arm, and he covered it with his own.

“You’re family, Dr. Chase,” Percy found himself saying, as if it explained everything.

“Yeah, Dad,” Annabeth agreed. “And we take care of family.”

“Frederick,” Dr. Chase corrected Percy gently.

Percy bit his lip. “I’ll...I’ll try. Thank you.” Annabeth laughed. 

“He might manage it in a few years,” she said. “Sally taught him well, I’ll give him that. He’s courteous to a fault...except where the gods are concerned. Then he’s just impertinent.”

Dr. Chase- _ Frederick _ -chuckled. “Percy’s not the only one who’s benefitted from her tutelage over the last few years, I think.” 

For the first time since they’d picked up Dr. Chase- _ yeah, no, that’s going to take a while- _ Percy really felt himself relax. He wondered if Dr. Chase felt the same way. 

When they got to the apartment, Percy was stunned to find a parking space right near the house. 

“I must be living right,” Percy muttered as he pulled in. 

“What’s that?” Annabeth asked.

“Third time today I’ve found a parking spot without any issues at all. What are the odds of that in New York?” 

“You’re just lucky.” Annabeth patted him on the cheek. 

“I figured I’d used up all my luck getting you,” he replied.

“You’re cute.”

They made their way up to the apartment where his parents and Estelle waited. Percy carried the suitcase, which he took into their room and set on the bed for now. HIs mom drew Dr. Chase into the living room and showed him the photo album she kept of pictures of Annabeth and Percy. Annabeth came in, and hung up her robes and her dress.

“Hey,” he said, holding out his arms. She allowed herself to be folded into his embrace and sighed heavily. “You okay?”

“Yeah, I’m good,” she assured him. “But this is nice.”

“Mmm. I agree,” he concurred, inhaling the lemony scent of her hair. He adored her shampoo. He just held her against his chest, reveling in her closeness.

“Is it wrong that I’m a little nervous?” she asked.

“About what, graduation?” he asked.

“No,” she shook her head. “Just...the future, I guess. I’m feeling a bit unmoored today.”

“That makes sense.”

“I’m going to miss the friends I’ve made more than I ever thought I would,” she added. 

“I can tell. But we’ll see them. We’ll make the effort.”

She looked up at him with those beautiful, wonderful grey eyes that he loved so much. “Promise?”

“I promise,” he assured her.

“Percy!” his mother called. She appeared in the doorway. “Why don’t you come help me with early dinner while Annabeth gets changed for graduation? You can change afterwards, and we’ll take a couple pictures before we leave.”

Percy nodded. “Sounds good, mom.” He kissed the top of Annabeth’s head. “See you in a bit, Wise Girl.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Love it? Hate it? Want to say hi? Volunteer to have ideas bounced off you? Email TheAuthor@no2ticonderoga.com
> 
> Twitter for the same reasons: No_2ticonderoga


	58. 58: Annabeth

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi all!
> 
> This one came out really long...partly Ava's fault, since I had to write her speech. 
> 
> Almost there! I only was able to give this a cursory edit, so please forgive me the typos and such. 
> 
> Thanks again for reading, I appreciate you all very much.
> 
> And I'm on Tumblr now, I guess. Not that I do much with it yet. But maybe I will. Who knows? [No2Ticonderoga](https://no2ticonderoga.tumblr.com/)

Annabeth had to admit, they made a good looking couple, in their robes. Annabeth’s robes were green, which actually complemented Percy’s purple robes fairly well. They took pictures in the living room, letting both her dad and Sally get in some good shots. Percy didn’t complain too much about having to put his robe back on, since they were indoors and it was air conditioned. 

By the time they finished up, it was almost time to head for school and the ceremony. 

“What’s the plan for after?” Paul asked. “We had an early dinner, do we want to go somewhere and grab dessert?” 

“Oh, that would be nice,” her dad replied. “Though it can’t be too late. I have to be at the airport at six tomorrow for my flight back out,” he looked disappointed.

“We’ll be in California in a couple of days,” Annabeth reassured him. “We’ll see you again then.”

Seeing her dad here at graduation had been an interesting emotional experience for her. Their relationship would never be perfect. They would never be as close as Percy was to Sally, for example, and nothing really could make up for those lost years as a child, but they were in a good place now. Having him here, without having to share him with Matthew, or Bobby, or Cynthia even, felt special. Like it had in those early days before Cynthia had even entered their lives. Seeing him in California would be different, of course, but still...nice, she thought. 

And his confession in the car had changed the dynamic. Percy had been as nervous as a Hermes kid during a cabin inspection, hoping she wouldn’t notice the contraband under the bunks. But then her dad had spoken up in the car, and he’d sounded so...lost and grateful, she though, and Percy had begun to relax. Like maybe he didn’t have to worry about her dad rejecting him after all. 

_ As if I would ever let  _ that _ stop me,  _ she thought. And if Percy didn’t know that, well…  _ Then again, he’s still got some pretty big insecurity issues _ , she remembered. And those were not to be discounted. It was just part of who he was. 

She really needed to remember to bug Nico about making sure that asshole was still miserable in the fields of punishment. 

“Oh, hey,” Percy piped up. “After we go out for dessert and drop Dr. Chase off at the hotel, my friend Darah is having a party at her house tonight. I thought Annabeth and I could swing by for a while.”

“Mmm,” Sally arched an eyebrow at them. “What kind of a party?” 

“Mo-om,” Percy groaned. “Even if there is booze, you  _ know  _ I won’t touch the stuff.”

Sally’s expression softened at this reminder of their shared past. “Fair enough.”

‘It’s going to be mostly the swim team seniors, maybe a couple of Darah’s other friends. It’s at her brownstone, so it’s not like the place fits a mob anyway. I’ll probably ask if Rachel can tag a long. She knew Darah when we were all freshmen.”

Sally nodded acceptance of this. “Just be careful. Don’t stay out all night. You two do have to pack for California tomorrow.”

“We’ll be home by say, 2?” Percy offered. “Probably earlier, depending on what time we get there.”

Sally snorted. “Don’t make promises you can’t keep.” 

“I don’t want to stay out too late,” Annabeth interrupted. “I want to go with Dad to the airport in the morning.”

“Oh, Annabeth, you don’t have to do that,” her dad protested. 

“I want to,” she replied firmly. She really did want to. She felt like there was a new equilibrium here, and she really didn’t want to let it go.

Percy shrugged. “That’s fine. I can drive us out.”

“No, you’ll take a cab,” Sally insisted. “You’ll have gotten like, three hours worth of sleep.”

“I’ve functioned on less,” Percy protested.

“I’d prefer you not to.” Sally arched an eyebrow at him. “I haven’t had you come all this way to fall asleep in traffic on the way back from the airport.” 

Percy sighed, and acquiesced. 

“We about ready to head out?” Percy asked. He was shucking off his graduation robe and hat. The plan was similar to the night before. Percy would take Annabeth down to school for lineup. Paul, Sally, Estelle and her father would ride down with Rachel, who would also arranged to help them get to wherever they were going afterwards. 

“I think so,” she nodded. 

“Oh, come here,” Sally said holding her arms out. “I want another hug before you go.” She enfolded Annabeth in a hug. “So proud of you, sweetie.” 

“Thanks, Sally,” Annabeth replied. 

“We’ll see you there,” Percy nodded to everyone generally, and leaned down to give Estelle a kiss where she was watching the picture taking from her bouncy seat. 

Annabeth followed him out to the street. The held hands as they walked to the car, not saying anything. Just as they got to the car, though, Percy pulled her around and pinned her against the car, kissing her soundly and leaving her breathless. 

“You. Are. Incredible.” He panted as they broke apart. “And I am so, so, proud to be your husband.”

“You aren’t my husband yet,” she pointed out, but she was grinning.

Percy shrugged. “Details.” He went in for another kiss.

“Enough,” she protested, putting a hand up in his face. “I don’t want to be late, and if you kiss me like that again, I’m going to want you to drive me someplace far away from here, where we can figure out just how much space this backseat has.”

Percy’s eyes darkened like he thought that was a fabulous suggestion, but he broke away, and opened the car door for her. She climbed in, and he went around the car to get in on the drivers side. 

After he had gotten safely out into traffic, Annabeth said, broaching a subject she knew he would be interested in. “What about next spring? Like, right after we get home from school?”

“For what?” he asked, attention distracted by the red light up ahead.

“Our wedding, Seaweed Brain,” she said fondly. “You know, that thing you’re so excited about?”

“Oh. Oh! Yes! Next spring sounds great!”

Annabeth rolled her eyes. “You think any time sounds great,” she half grumbled.

“No,” he corrected. “I don’t want to wait forever. But I think we could do next spring. That would give us plenty of time to plan, and all that.” He nodded. “I think next spring sounds great. Like, Memorial Day?” 

“I could get on board with that,” Annabeth allowed. “I’ve been thinking...what if we could get the cabin at Montauk?” 

“Get married in Montauk?” Percy mused. “That’d be cool, I guess. If we couldn’t get married at camp.” 

“I really think that one is a non-starter,” Annabeth told him sadly. “Unless we don’t want to invite any of our mortal friends, and I don’t really want to do that either.” 

“Yeah, I get it.” Percy shrugged. “Maybe Chiron will have some ideas when we head out to camp. But I think next summer sounds great. I can’t wait.”

“We haven’t even officially set a date yet,” Annabeth said sardonically.

“I can’t wait whenever it is,” Percy pointed out. “You know that. I’d get married tomorrow. I just want to be with you, is that so wrong?”

Annabeth smiled and reached over and touched his shoulder. “Of course not. I feel the same way about you.”

Percy risked a quick glance at her with a soft grin, the one that drove her absolutely wild. He could look so damn adorable sometimes. When he looked at her like she was the only thing in the world he thought about, or the only person he ever wanted to be with. It made her insides just kind of melt down. She loved that he could be so...so soft. And caring. Sure, he could be hard and sharp as the edge of a blade, especially since Hera took him, and she loved that, in it’s own way, that he was strong, and a leader and capable. But when he looked at her, it was like that all disappeared and he was just a kid, a lovesick kid, who thought that the sun rose and set just because of her. 

The best part, of course, was that he was hers. She’d feel guilty about how much she needed him, except that she knew he felt he needed her too. She’d sooner go without oxygen than without Percy. And she knew he felt the same about her. They’d talked with Doc Berger about it, since Annabeth had been concerned about their psychological state. Doc had assured her they weren’t suffering from any kind of codependency. He pointed out that one of them would have to be enabling destructive behavior to really qualify as codependent. And since neither one of them was really into that sort of thing, it really didn’t qualify. He’d told them it was only natural for them to have an intense attachment to each other, under the circumstances, and it wasn’t entirely unhealthy. The fact that they were both aware of it, and made some effort to cultivate lives beyond just being together showed it wasn’t as unhealthy as she feared.

But the simple and plain truth was that given a preference, Annabeth would prefer to spend her time with Percy, and vice-versa. Even just being in each other’s presence, while doing their own things, was soothing to her soul. And she could spend an eternity staring into those sea-green eyes. She wanted to be with Percy forever, Which, she supposed, was possible for them. She didn’t doubt that they would go to Elysium someday - _ they had damn well earned it- _ and there, they could be together forever. 

But she wanted as much time with him on this side of the Underworld as possible, preferably. She wasn’t in a hurry. She wanted to have children, watch them grow up, watch Percy grow old. There were so many things she wanted to do.

And it was all there, ahead of her now.

Annabeth felt like she was standing on the edge of a mountain, looking out over a beautiful vista, and everything in it was hers, as long as she had the courage to step of the edge and charge down into it.

And Annabeth had never been short on courage.

“You okay?” Percy asked, as her silence stretched on.

She shook herself and smiled. “I’m more than okay. I’m ready.”

She could hear the smile in his voice, though he didn’t look away from the road. “Of course you are, Wise Girl. I never doubted it.”

She rested her hand on his thigh and gave a small squeeze of thank you. “You always have so much faith in me.”

“Well, hey, you don’t think I couldn’t have survived this long without you, do you? I’d’ve been hanging out with my Uncle down under years ago if not for you. And you damn well know it.”

She giggled. “I didn’t know you had an uncle in Australia.” 

Percy gave her a sidelong smirk, but he didn’t bother to correct her. He knew she knew what he meant. And she did know. But… “Same goes for you, Seaweed Brain. We’d all have been screwed without you.”

Percy shrugged, blushing a little. “Yeah, well. That’s as may be, but I’ll be just as happy to let other people do that sort of stuff from now own.”

“Me too,” she agreed.

Percy made the turn into the neighborhood by the school. “Where should I park?” he asked, starting to scan the side streets. 

“Oh, you can drop me off up by the school, and then there’s a garage just around…”

“Never mind, there’s one,” Percy said, pulling the car abruptly into a space right next to the main administration building.

Annabeth’s jaw fell open, and she stared in astonishment. “How…?” She had never seen any of these spaces open. Ever.

Percy shrugged. “On a roll, I guess.” He smiled at her. “See you on the other side?” 

Annabeth shook herself and smiled at him. “You bet.” She leaned across the center console to give him a quick, chaste kiss. Anything more and she wasn’t sure she’d be able to stop. Later, she promised herself, she would give herself the luxury of losing herself in his arms.  _ After all,  _ she thought,  _ we’ll be together all night tonight.  _ Sleeping apart would become the exception, not the norm, after tonight.

“Where am I going?” he asked as she climbed out.

“The auditorium is a block that way,” she pointed. “Follow the crowds.” He nodded, and blew her a kiss. 

She made her way to the field house, following the crowd of fellow graduates.

“Annabeth!” Kassandra caught up with her. 

“Hey!” 

“I’m sorry I missed you at the dorm,” Kassandra told her. “Ava told me she’d seen you with your Dad and Percy.”

“Yeah, I only had a few things, and I wanted to spend some time with dad, so we didn’t stay long,” Annabeth explained. “I saw Ava and Kirsten, but that was about it.”

“What are you guys doing after?” Kassandra asked.

“We had an early dinner, probably going for ice cream with everyone after. One of Percy’s friends is having a party, so we might go there. But my dad’s flight leaves at like, eight, tomorrow, so I have to take him to the airport very early.” 

“Maybe we can all go together,” Kassandra said. “Ava said her parents wanted to do something.”

“That’d be cool,” Annabeth agreed. 

They entered the field house, and quickly found the others. All the girls were loaded down with hardware: National Honors Society cords, academic awards medals, extra tassels for language honors societies. There were still a few minutes before they had to line up, so they stuck together, sitting in a corner of the bleachers. 

“My parents want to know if you’d all like to do something afterwards,” Ava said. She looked apologetically at Annabeth. “They decided this  _ after _ I’d seen you at the dorm,” she said. “I didn’t know if you had plans.”

“Nothing that can’t be adapted,” she explained. “Though Percy and I were going to go to a party later on. Some of his friends.”

“I’m sure we can work something out. There are lots of great places to get ice cream. And when you guys get back from California, I’m totally having all of you out to the Hamptons for a weekend or something. You guys can bring Anthony and Percy,” she told Annabeth and Kassandra.

“I’m in,” Kirsten said. “I’ve never been to the Hamptons, I’ve always wanted to go.” 

They all nodded. There was a silence as they looked around. 

“So,” Annabeth said finally. “Are we ready for this?”

“Hells yeah,” Kirsten announced. The others didn’t look so sure, but Annabeth caught her roommate’s eye and nodded confidently. 

“I’m ready,” Annabeth agreed. “So, ladies, how does next Memorial Day weekend look for all of you?” 

“Why?” Ava asked.

“You guys decided?” Kassandra said excitedly.

“What? Oh!” Ava’s eyes lit up. “For the wedding?”

Annabeth nodded. “I think we’re going to aim for Memorial Day weekend next spring. Exactly when and where is still up in the air. Percy would really like to get married on the beach.”

“Oh, a beach wedding is soooo romantic,” Kassandra gushed. 

“Percy has a spot on Long Island he likes, but I don’t know how practical it is,” Annabeth admitted. “There are logistical issues.”

“There are some great spots in the Hamptons,” Ava pointed out. 

“I don’t know what kind of budget we have,” Annabeth admitted, sure that Ava’s conceptions of  _ great spots in the Hamptons _ were well beyond what they could conceivably afford.

Ava shrugged this away. “Still, I could help you look.”

“Thank you,” Annabeth replied honestly.

“Have you decided on a wedding party?” Kirsten wanted to know.

Annabeth shook her head. “Not entirely. But, yes,” she grinned. “You all will be in it.”

There were generally squeals of excitement and hugs, and that carried them to the moment when the organizers began to chivvy them into their lines for the walk across campus to the auditorium. 

Annabeth got in line, only two people separating her from Ava. She waved back at her as the procession got underway. The transition from the field house to outside was uncomfortable. It was heavily humid, and Annabeth could see dark clouds gathering on the horizon between the buildings. The weather people had been right about the storms. She could definitely feel one coming on. But it had held off until after this walk outside, so that wasn’t bad. She tossed a “thank you” in the general direction of Olympus, simultaneously directed at her mother, and Zeus. 

Since Annabeth was close to the front of the line, she could see when they opened the doors to the all, and she heard the music begin Pomp and Circumstance. The sound was completely different from the day before. Instead of the brassy cacophony that had echoed off the buildings, the orchestra’s version was light, with strings instead of horns carrying the melody, as they seemed to glide down to their places. 

Annabeth tried to glance around to find Percy and the others as she walked in, but she wasn’t able to. And there wasn’t going to be much chance to do so once she sat down. Since they were sitting in the front section of the auditorium, the audience would be behind them, not to the side, like at Percy’s, where the graduates had sat on the football field. She figured rubbernecking around behind her would be viewed as rude. 

It seemed like an eternity before the procession stopped, and the Head got up to the podium to officially welcome everyone. And then there was the up and down for the National Anthem (sung by a senior girl who was going across town to Juilliard next year) and the pledge, led by Jessica the Annabeth-only-knew-her-last-name-because-she’d-just-been-introduced Class President. And then Father Fred had said an invocation, blessedly free of dying students.  _ Then _ they got to sit down again. Finally.

Annabeth’s phone vibrated in her pocket, and she glanced around surreptitiously, and pulled it out ever so slightly. It was a text from Rachel.

**_Percy tried to text, but his mom took his phone away. 😂 We can see you. We’re about three rows behind the mid-aisle on your right. 😁_ **

Annabeth shook her head and risked a glance over her right shoulder in the direction Rachel indicated. She caught a flash of red hair from somewhere in that direction, but not much else. The hall was packed to the rafters, making it hard to pick out anyone.

There had been programs on the floor under their seats, and Annabeth took the opportunity to scan it down. When the Head finished his welcome speech, Ava would be up first. Then a piece by the orchestra, then the salutatorian. The Head would be back to say a few words about all the scholarship money the class had earned, and then finally the valedictory. After that, diplomas. Despite the smaller class size, Annabeth feared that her ceremony would drag on longer than Percy’s. 

Finally, the Head of School finished, and invited Ava to the podium. Annabeth flashed her a discrete thumbs up as she made her way to the stage. Ava took a visible deep breath as she looked out at the hall and gathered herself. 

“Thank you, Dean Bergeron. Good evening, Forrester School staff, family, guests and sister graduates.” She took a breath. “I am absolutely terrified right now.” A ripple of laughter ran through the room. “I don’t think I’ve addressed a group this large ever. I had the honor to speak at our Top Ten dinner a few weeks ago, but that crowd was much smaller. Public speaking is not what I am fully comfortable with. Unlike my friend Kirsten, who wants to go into public service, the largest audience I ever want to address would be a classroom full of undergraduates. But here I am.” She looked scared. Annabeth caught her eye from the front row and gave her an encouraging nod. 

“I am, above all, a student of English literature, and so it is only fitting that I want to begin with a quote from one of my favorite books, J.R.R. Tolkien’s  _ Fellowship of the Ring.  _ ‘All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.’ We here, students of the Forrester School, are only given four brief years in this place, and in that time, we must decide what to do with the time given to us. Many of us chose to use that time wisely. A few,” here she shrugged, drawing a chuckle from her audience. “Perhaps not.”

“For my own self, I spent it mainly in study. And that is not a regret. My time here at the Forrester School has been rewarding and revealing in so many ways. I have been challenged by my fellow students, and pushed by my teachers to excel in the areas I enjoy the most. I know I will remember with gratitude the many times Mr. Tomlinson pushed me to rewrite an essay junior year, or when Dr. Bartlett made me reevaluate my whole position on John Irving in AP Literature. It was these experiences that gave me satisfaction academically. The lessons I learned here will certainly help shape me as I pursue my chosen career path at Yale. 

“I made other choices with my time here at Forrester, choices I similarly do not regret. I valued my time working on the Literary Magazine with Ms. Hood, and will fondly remember the hours agonizing over submissions and the best way to politely word a rejection letter. I will not forget the volunteer time I spent working with the day students in Mrs. Nelson’s eight grade class, talking about Animal Farm. I remember when I first started, I did not expect the students to be able to reach for the deeper symbolisms at their age. Their success gives me hope for the undergraduates I hope to instruct someday. 

“These experiences and choices have helped shape me and push me towards my goal. I will remember them fondly next year at Yale. And I will miss my time here at the Forester school. Because I feel that I have made good choices with the time that I’ve been given here. Because those choices also led to me life long friendships, beginning with Kassandra. We met and bonded in our freshman year where we were in more than half of our classes together. In sophomore year, we met Kirsten in US history. And then junior year, Annabeth joined us, completing our group. And we made quite the group. We often talk about the Forrester School as a sisterhood, and that word perfectly describes how I feel toward these three other young women. Women who will be successful at the passions that I am as familiar with as my own. Kirsten will change the world, or at least the country and maybe sit on the Supreme Court someday. Kassandra will make enough money to endow a new wing here at the school, and Annabeth will design it, along with half the buildings in New York. And I will be proud to call them my sisters. 

“I owe them a lot, and I know they would deny it, but they deserve thanks for who I am, right alongside the teachers I’ve mentioned, and others, like Dean Bergeron, and Dr. Slobig, the head of the English department. And of course, my parents, who have supported me every step of the way, and have encouraged me to pursue my passions. Thank you, Mom and Dad, and thank you everyone. I am proud to be a Forrester graduate, and I know that thanks to our start here, we will all succeed at the next level. As Prospero says in  _ The Tempest:  _ _ We are the stuff as dreams are made on.  _ And those dreams are there, thanks to our friends, and family and our sisterhood at Forrester School.”

There is a round of applause, mostly polite, but Annabeth is clapping like mad and grinning like an idiot for her friend, who seems to be taking in this very minor response like it’s a standing ovation. Ava blushes and is ushered away to clear the way for the next speaker, and Annabeth is shooting her grins and thumbs up when she returns to her seat.

The rest of the ceremony is as boring as hell, and Annabeth wonders how Percy is managing it. He is three times as fidgety as she is and even she is itching to get moving by the time the time comes to award the diplomas, and the ceremony is barely half over by then, given that he’ll still have to sit through the entire class, and the closing speeches before being released from his seat. 

Annabeth was in the first row, and when she got up to the stage, she had a few moments to gaze out and finally pick out where her family was seated. Rachel was waving like mad, naturally, because she had no shame, but Percy was beaming at her. He was holding Estelle. 

“Ava Cunningham.” The Dean’s voice intoned, and Annabeth tore her attention away to watch Ava cross the stage, and accept her diploma from the head of school. She clapped from her place in line. 

And suddenly, there she was, at the front of the line.

“Annabeth Chase.” She started across the stage, and took her diploma with her left hand, shaking with her right, just as they’d practiced as rehearsal.

“Congratulations,” the head offered.

“Thank you,” Annabeth had time to say, and then she was moving on, diploma in hand, back across the stage, to her seat. 

Intellectually, she had always known she could graduate. She had been gifted her mother’s intellect: academic schoolwork came easier to her than many demigods for that reason. She’d always had good grades, and worked hard to keep them that way. There had never been a question about whether she  _ could  _ graduate. But there was always the question of whether she  _ would _ graduate. In other words, would she survive long enough to do it? Now, standing at her seat, waiting for her whole row to return so they could all sit down in unison, holding her diploma, she realized she’d beaten the odds. Oh, sure some of the others in her age group had done it, like Clarisse, or the Stolls, but when you compared that to the numbers who had died up to now…? She shivered. 

Just before they sat down, Annabeth sneaked a glance back toward Percy. He was still beaming at her, face shining with love and affection. He’d passed Estelle off to Paul and was giving her two thumbs up. Rachel was saying something to him, but he didn’t appear to be listening, so intent was he on her face. They had made it. Together. 

Time seemed to move into some kind of distorted field where she remembered almost nothing from the remainder of the ceremony, but at the same time it felt like an eternity before she was being told to stand, and switch her tassel, and then with a cheer, toss her cap into the air. 

They recessed out to the orchestra playing an orchestral version of a pop song, and then there were people, hundreds of people in the lobby of the auditorium, and backed up into the theatre itself, since it was currently pouring rain outside, and no one wanted to go out. 

Ava and Annabeth stuck close together, since they had been in the front row together. “Annabeth!” A voice called, and she was tackled from behind by Kirsten, hugging her and laughing. “We made it!”

“We did,” Annabeth confirmed, laughing herself. 

Her phone was buzzing in her pocket, so she pulled it out.

“ _ Where are you?” _ Rachel demanded.

“The lobby!” Annabeth called back. “Near the main ticket booth!” The line disconnected. 

Kassandra found them, as the crowd thinned a little, as more of the graduates filtered back into the auditorium to find their relatives. It was still a mob scene, though. Ava and Kassandra’s parents caught up with them, and then Annabeth was tackled from behind by Rachel. 

“I’m so proud of you!” Rachel whooped.

“Oy! Dare! Stop molesting my fiancée,” Percy called.

“Why, so you can?” she shot back with a grin, but released her. 

Percy swept her into his arms and kissed her, spinning her around. Her mortarboard flew off her head. She was vaguely aware of her friends cheering as he took her breath her away. She pulled away reluctantly. “Put me down, I’m getting dizzy,” she protested. He let her down and Ava handed her back her cap.

“Man, get a room,” Kirsten laughed.

Annabeth gave her a friendly shove. 

And then her father was there, and they hugged, somewhat awkwardly, but warmly. She got more confident hugs from Sally and Paul and she even held Estelle, who was surprisingly awake. Then photos, photos and more photos. The rain did finally let up at least temporarily, and the crowds began to break up. Mr. and Mrs. Cunningham proposed a restaurant to take everyone out for ice cream, and the motion was approved without objection. Rachel called her driver, and Percy and Annabeth made their temporary farewells to go collect the Prius. 

If it was possible, it was even more humid now that it had rained, as all the moisture steamed off the pavement. “Do you know where we’re going?” Annabeth asked.

“Yeah,” Percy nodded. “It’s up in Central Park West.” He paused. “I am so proud of you, you know that, right Wise Girl?” 

She smiled at him and took his hand. “I’m proud of you, too, Seaweed Brain. We’ve made it.” They swung their hands together as they walked to the car. 

“Looking forward to the trip to California?” he asked.

“You going to be there?” she asked, grinning at him.

“Wouldn’t be much of a trip without me,” he pointed out.

“Then, yes, I’m looking forward to it.” She squeezed his hand. “I’m looking forward to the rest of my life with you, Percy Jackson.” 

“And I’m looking forward to my life you, Annabeth Jackson.” He pulled her to him, and they kissed again.

“Okay, enough,” Annabeth pushed away. “We’ll never make it up town this way.”

Percy laughed, and thunder rumbled, and a few drops of rain pattered down. 

“Oh, shut up, thunderpants!” Percy called up toward the sky. Lighting cracked down nearby, arcing off a nearby skyscraper. Percy snorted. “Drama queen.” They laughed all the way to the car.

When they got to the car, Percy unlocked it, and Annabeth opened her door. There was a package on the front seat. “What’s this?” she asked in surprise.

Percy looked just as surprised as she did. “I don’t know. It wasn’t here when I got out.”

It was plainly wrapped. It was heavy when Annabeth picked it up. The rain was becoming heavier again, so she climbed into the car and set it on her lap. Percy got in on the driver’s side. 

“It’s got a Hermes Express tag,” Percy pointed out. Annabeth hadn’t noticed that, and she examined the tag. 

“No return address, but hardly surprising.”

“Open it,” Percy urged.

“With what?” she asked.

“Aren’t you wearing your dagger?” he asked, his tone of voice saying,  _ duh. _

“You just want me to hike up my skirt,” she grumbled, giving him sly side eye. He shrugged unrepentantly. She sighed, and pulled up her down and her dress until she could get her dagger free. She slit the tape on the box. Inside was a folded sheet of paper, crisp and heavy. She opened it.

_ Annabeth _ , it read.

_ I was a bit taken aback when Hermes asked me what I planned to get you for your graduation. I did not know that this was an occasion that required gifts. He informed me that he had delivered a gift to your fiancé, and I’ve no wish to be found in a negative comparison, regardless of how things have improved between us. Your future father-in-law is a bit too capricious and impulsive for us to truly be friends.  _

“What’s it say?” Percy asked.

“It’s from Mom,” she told him. She decided not to tell him all the details.

_ I have determined that graduation gifts are usually useful items that can be used as one continues their education. And this is certainly more useful than the rather whimsical gift your fiancé received. I know how attached you were to the laptop carried by Daedalus. Hephaestus tells me that this model is superior, with the newest processors. He also loaded it with what he calls a “cloud backup” of the files from Daedalus’ machine, though I was a bit unclear on the concept, he says it will be all the mortals will be able to talk about in a year or two.  _

_ If it will assist you in your continued studies, I am pleased to give it to you. _

“Oh, Holy Hephaestus,” Annabeth breathed, opening up the rest of the box.

“What is it?” Percy asked.

“It’s a new laptop,” she said. The lid was polished aluminum, with the owl of Athena etched into the center. She lifted it out. It was rugged, which would be excellent in the event of monsters or a quest. She popped open the lid, and the boot up screen, featuring a digitized hammer of Hephaestus splashed on the screen. Then the OS opened. “Oh, Gods, Percy,” she said, navigating the desktop. “It’s all here. All my work from before. All my digitized Olympus designs, everything I thought I’d lost.”

Annabeth’s eyes were getting a little misty as she began to sift through the contents of the hard drive. She was conscious of Percy’s hand on her shoulder, rubbing small circles. “Oh, Percy, it’s all here. I thought it was gone forever.”

“Well,” Percy chuckled. “I guess I should probably just return my gift then.”

“What?” she looked up at him, confused.

“Nothing’s going to compare to that,” he said. “The rest of us should just give up.” 

“You got me a gift? I didn’t get your anything.” Annabeth bit her lip.  _ Should she have?  _

“Nah. You already got me the greatest gift ever,” he said. “I’m getting to marry you.”

She couldn’t help it, she blushed. “You...are such a cornball.” Then she remembered. “So what did you get me?”

"I don’t have it with me, I was going to give it to you tonight. It’s in our bedroom.” He put the car in gear and, looked back over his shoulder to carefully back out onto the street.

_ Our bedroom. _ Annabeth felt a small thrill run through her as she cleaned up the packing material and put the empty box in the back seat. She slipped her knife back into its sheath and then smoothed down her dress and graduation gown.  _ Our bedroom.  _ A shared space. Something that was theirs as a couple. She knew that Percy was excited about going out to Darah’s party, but there was a part of her that just wanted to go back to the apartment and crawl into bed with him. She bit her lip and glanced at him through her lashes. But he was watching the road- _ good for him- _ so he missed the look. Further thoughts along this line would not be a good idea before having to spend time with friends and family so she returned her attention to her new laptop. 

The drive uptown took nearly half an hour at this time of a Saturday night, but Annabeth barely noticed, as he perused files and folders she thought were gone forever. Percy warned her they were getting close, so she reluctantly closed it and put it in the box on the back seat. After only a few minutes, Annabeth spotted the restaurant. “Oh, there it is.” She pointed. “Everything around here is busy, I’ll start looking for a…”

“There’s one,” Percy said, and pulled up to the curb. 

Annabeth stared at him. “Okay, what the...there is  _ no way… _ ” her eye caught Percy’s sea scented air freshener as it swung around while Percy maneuvered the car into the parking place.

“What?” Percy asked, and he caught her staring. “What…? You think…” They stared at the air freshener, and Annabeth caught the faint whiff of the ocean, and the distant sound of a deep chuckle. 

Percy raised an eyebrow, looking at Annabeth. “Well, I guess it’s more than just an air freshener.” He glanced up at the ceiling. “Thanks, Dad!” He shook his head in wonder. 

“I wonder what else it can do?” Annabeth wondered aloud.

“Maybe it makes me immune to speed traps,” Percy mused.

“Let’s not test that,” Annabeth muttered. 

“Maybe it just keeps me from getting parking tickets,” Percy offered. “That would be pretty sweet.”

“Maybe,” Annabeth agreed. She had agreed with her mother’s assessment that Poseidon’s gift was rather whimsical, but it was perhaps more useful than her mother understood. If it really helped find parking, then that was a gift beyond measure, especially in New York. And it probably did a few other things too. “I’d be happy if it was monster repellant.”

“Hey, maybe it makes the car drive in the water!” Percy added. 

“Let’s add that to the list of things we’re  _ not _ going to experiment with,” Annabeth muttered as got out of the car.

The restaurant that the Cunninghams had suggested turned out to be a retro-Victorian styled ice cream parlor. Somehow, they had arrived first, and had already undertaken to secure a large table. Kassandra and her family had already arrived, and Annabeth and Percy joined them. Everyone else began arriving shortly afterwards, and soon they were all packed in around the big table. Her father and Mr. Cunningham continued their discussion about his books, while Sally struck up a conversation with Kassandra’s mother, who had worked in the publishing industry before having children. Rachel and Ava were chattering away, recalling middle school, and sharing stories about school. Percy ordered an enormous sundae, which Annabeth insisted on sharing with him. 

“Why don’t you order your own?” he asked.

“Because you don’t need to eat that whole thing. Besides, isn’t sharing a sundae romantic?” she gave him an arch look. 

Percy glared at her, like he was suspicious she was putting one over on him on the romantic part, but shrugged and acquiesced. 

“So you guys are leaving Monday morning for California, right?” Kirsten asked. “How long is that going to take?”

“Two days,” Annabeth said. “We’ll be in California about three days before we head home. We’ll get home just in time for the Fourth.” 

“Any plans?” 

“For the holiday, you mean?” Annabeth asked.

“Yeah.” 

Annabeth smiled at Percy, and gripped his hand. “There’s always a celebration at Camp. Percy’s headed down as soon as we get back, and I’ll be joining him for the holiday. It’s kind of a tradition for us.” He squeezed her hand and smiled back at her.

“Awww,” Kassandra cooed. “That’s sweet.”

“We’ll have to get together after you get back,” Kirsten noted. 

“Oh, yes,” Ava said. “I want to have everybody down to the house at the Hamptons as soon as we can coordinate it.” 

“I’m sure we’ll figure something out,” Annabeth agreed. “I’ll be in the city during the week, but I was going to be down at Camp with Percy most weekends anyway. We’re not far from the Hamptons when we’re there.”

This was agreed to readily. And while the ice cream was delicious, and the company wondrous, it had to come to an end. Kirsten and her parents were the first to make moves to leave, citing the drive back out to Connecticut. Annabeth had been dreading this moment all evening, as she took her roommate in for a hug.

“Take care of yourself,” Kirsten whispered in her ear. “No getting eaten by monsters or shit in California.”

“I’ll do my best, but I can’t make promises,” Annabeth whispered back. She held her another moment. “Thanks for everything.”

“You too.” Kirsten pulled away, and grinned. “Stay in touch, right? I expect to see my wedding invitation soon.”

Most of the parents thought this a great joke, and laughed, though it was telling that Sally and Paul just nodded in agreement. And then Kirsten hugged everyone else, and Annabeth one more time, and she was gone. 

_ Not going to cry now.  _ Annabeth thought firmly.  _ Later, when Percy can hold me on our bed, and tell me it’s okay.  _

And then, it was their turn to go. Her dad wanted to get back to the hotel, get some sleep before his flight. Percy offered to drive him, of course. Annabeth had noted that the dynamic between them had shifted some since the afternoon. Percy didn’t seem quite so afraid of him anymore. It made for a good change, if nothing else.

Annabeth hugged Kassandra, and Ava, and promised both to keep in touch, and Paul was arguing the bill with Mr. Cunningham, and losing, and then they were leaving the restaurant, and then they were on their way back to the Bus Station and her dad’s hotel. Rachel had called for her car to take Sally, Paul and Estelle home. 

“Thank you for having me here this weekend,” Dad said to her once they were in the car. She was taken aback by this.

“Dad, I wanted you here,” Annabeth said. “I’m glad you could make it.”

“I’m sorry I couldn’t stay longer,” he said. “I know...I know I have a lot of time to make up for.” 

“Dad, I…”Annabeth didn’t know what to say. The emotion of the day was really threatening to get to her, but her Dad continued on.

“I hope we’ll see you often while you’re at school.” He sounded so hopeful her heart nearly broke.

“Don’t worry,” Percy put in sturdily for her. “We will.” 

Annabeth’s heart filled, because she knew he was saying that for her, committing them so she wouldn’t have to. She reached up to the driver’s seat and put a hand on his shoulder and squeezed. He gave a little bob of his head to acknowledge her. 

“Yeah, it’ll be great,” she told her dad. “We’ll look forward to it.”

They arrived at the hotel, and Percy pulled the car in behind a taxi that was just pulling out. She got out of the car with her dad.

“I am so proud of you, Annabeth,” her dad told her as they stood, a little awkwardly on the sidewalk. 

She gave in, and hugged him. He seemed surprised. “Thanks, Dad. It meant a lot for me for you to be here.”

“I’m sure you’ve made your mother proud as well.” 

“I hope so,” she said. She let him go. “We’ll see you in the morning to pick you up for the airport,” she promised him. “Bright and early.”

“I can get a cab,” he protested.

“Dad, I want to do this,” she assured him.

“What about Percy?” he asked. 

“Percy will be fine. We’ll take a nap tomorrow afternoon, after we finish packing,” she waved his away and he subsided in his protests.

“Well, goodnight, Annabeth.”

“Goodnight, Dad,” she said. “Love you.” She hugged him again.

“Love you, too, sweetheart.”

He turned and went into the hotel, and Annabeth climbed into the passenger seat. She sat there and took a deep breath. 

Percy reached over and took her hand. “You okay?” he asked. 

She nodded, not quite trusting herself to speak yet, and squeezed his hand tightly. Percy took his hand back and put the car into gear, starting back uptown. 

“If you don’t want to go tonight,” Percy said, after a moment. “We don’t have to. We can cuddle up and watch a movie, or something.” 

“No, it’s fine,” she assured him. “I want to see them. It’s just...let’s not make it super late.” It was already nearly 10. 

“Do you want to just head to the party, then?” Percy asked. “Skip going home, and go straight there?” 

She shook her head. “I’d rather not go in my dress,” she explained. “We’ll make a quick stop.”

He nodded, and they headed back uptown. Of course, Percy found a parking space almost directly in front of the building. “I could really get used to this,” he observed as they got out. She laughed, as she retrieved her new laptop from the backseat and carried it inside. 

“Hey mom,” Percy called when they got inside. “We’re back...briefly. Come see what Annabeth’s mom got her for graduation. And wait till you hear about my air freshener!” 

HIs mom met them in the kitchen. “‘Wait till you hear about my air freshener’ is not a phrase you hear everyday,” she said with a wry smile.

Annabeth laughed. She gave Percy a kiss on the cheek. “I’m going to go change quick,” she said. “I’ll be back in a minute,” and left him to explain his magic air freshener. 

She found her clothes in the drawers, though it took her two tries to figure out where Percy had put her shorts. She changed into a pair of nice jean shorts and a purple NRU t-shirt the admissions department had sent her. She pulled her hair up into a pony tail, checking her reflection in the mirror on the back of Percy’s dresser. It was mostly covered in pictures and sticky notes, but there was enough to see herself. Most of the pictures were of them, which Annabeth just found adorable. One caught her eye, one of her and Percy and Grover from a long time ago. She missed Grover. She didn’t know what could be keeping him out west. Juniper must be going crazy, given the communication problems. And it was even messing with Percy’s empathy link with him, which had its ups and downs, she supposed. She wished she knew what was going on. But maybe she’d find out by mid week, when they got to New Rome.

Percy knocked. “You decent?”

“Yeah,” she called. He entered. She smirked at him. “What would you have done if I’d said no?”

“Come in anyway?” he smirked back at her. She rolled her eyes and sat down on the edge of the bed while he crossed to the dresser and peeled off his polo shirt. She tried to avert her eyes, but it was hard to ignore the vast expanse of his well defined chest. Her desire to  _ stay in _ for the evening increased exponentially. He rummaged in his drawer for a t-shirt. He pulled it on and then grabbed something out of the top drawer of the dresser and sat down next to him. “I have your present,” he said. 

“You didn’t need to get me anything,” she said. “I didn’t get you anything,” she repeated. 

He shrugged and waved this away. “It’s not much.” He held out a flat velvet box.

“Jewelry? Percy, you’ve already gotten me the most amazing piece of jewelry I’ll ever own.” She waved her ring at him. “You don’t ever need to get me anything else. “

He shrugged. “I know, but still, I saw this and thought of you. It’s not much, but I am proud of you, Wise Girl.” He smiled at her and leaned in to give her a kiss on the cheek. 

She opened the box. Nestled on the fabric was a golden charm bracelet. On the bracelet, hung a tiny little graduation hat, along with a tiny Empire State building, a ship, and a cupcake.

“I wanted to put things on there that meant a lot to us,’ Percy explained. “That represents this past year, the ship is our trip on the Argo II, the Empire State building, well, our parents, obviously, and the cupcake…”

“From when we started dating,” Annabeth finished for him. “Oh, Percy, this is beautiful.” She lifted it out of the box. “When did you get this? I’m surprised you had the time with everything going on.”

Percy shrugged. “I’ve had it for a while. May I?” he asked. She nodded. He took it out of the box, and carefully clipped it around her wrist. Then he leaned in to kiss her on the cheek, but she turned, so that their lips met, and she kissed him hungrily. He returned it eagerly at first, but then pulled away, chuckling. “Much more of that, and we won’t be going anywhere this evening,” he said. “I need to finish changing.” 

“Something to look forward to later then,” she gave him a saucy look, and kissed his nose. He groaned and stood up. She left him to finish changing, and went out to the kitchen. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

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